There's Just Something About Hotels
by Carlos.J
Summary: Hanssen, Serena, Jac and Michael are attending a Surgical Conference in Manchester. What is it about Hotels which makes us act first, think later?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"You must be out of your tiny American mind to think I am actually sitting there!" Serena stood by the back door of Hanssen's car, looking in at Michael patting the seat next to him suggestively.

"Aww come on Rena...what happens in the back seat, stays in the back seat!" he joked as he leant to grab her hand and pull her in. She was too fast for him and slammed the door in his face. "Owww" came a muffled reply from inside the vehicle. Serena smiled to herself as she heard Hanssen arrive beside her.

"That was nicely done if I do say so myself Ms. Campbell. Just be careful not to spill any blood in my car, thank you." he smirked as he headed to the boot and began to load their bags.

"I don't quite know if the little cretin was serious or if he was just being...him." she sighed dramatically as she opened the passenger door and got in the car, slamming the door and resuming her battle with Michael. Hanssen took a deep breath and realised this was going to be a long journey. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling over to him.

"Sorry I'm late!" Jac Naylor threw her bag past Hanssen and immediately, spotting Serena was occupying the front seat, headed for the back.

"Hey Jack..." drawled Michael before Hanssen heard the tell-tale sound of flesh hitting flesh and looked up to see Michael rubbing his cheek. "I was only joking!" he snapped defensively.

Ah yes, Hanssen thought to himself, this was going to be a long, but interesting journey.

* * *

"How much further?" complained Michael, shifting uncomfortably in the back seat.

"My god, you're worse than a child." grumbled Serena as she closed her eyes and attempted to block him out.

"Look, I've been stuck back here for hours, now all I am asking is for a short stop to stretch my legs and have a restroom break. Okay?" he asked, looking over at Jac who was, in fact, in silent agreement with him.

"Fine. There is a Motorway Services up ahead, where we can stop momentarily." stated Hanssen as he caught Serena's eye and she scowled at him.

"Now Mr. Hanssen..." she smirked turning to face him "...we have to be consistent with them. Where is the stability if one of us says no and the other says yes?" she asked wide-eyed, feigning innocence as the corners of Hanssen's lips twitched in amusement. Jac snorted and Michael continued complaining, completely missing the meaning of the comment.

Ten minutes later and they were pulling into the Services as promised. Michael leapt from the car and bolted across the car park, dodging unsuspecting holiday-makers wandering around.

"Well, I suppose when you gotta go, you gotta go." Serena smirked as she undid her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. She instantly felt her leg cramp up and bent to try and release it. She noticed Hanssen had come around to her side of the car and was watching her intently.

"Ms. Campbell, what are you doing?" he asked the Consultant as she was bent over, holding onto the car with one hand and rubbing her calf with the other.

"Oh nothing, this is my resting position while I wait for Michael." she answered glibly as Hanssen turned, making his way inside. She watched him go, muttering "Idiot."

A few minutes later Jac returned and returned to her seat in the car, producing an apple from her bag and proceeding to bite into it. Serena opened the door and peered in at her.

"You do know he'll kill you if he sees you eating in here? He wouldn't even let me eat my banana on the way to a meeting the other day." she said as she saw Jac roll her eyes.

"He can try and take this apple from me, but he will find it rammed down his throat." she replied, smiling as she continued to eat. Serena laughed and closed the door, leaning against the side of the car and breathing in the not-so-fresh, side of the motorway air.

"I thought you might like a coffee." Hanssen said as he appeared beside her, holding a cup out to her. She tried to hide her surprise and took it from him cautiously.

"What's the deal...salt instead of sugar, am I right?" she asked jokingly as she took a sip.

"Of course." smirked Hanssen as he leant against his car a few inches from Serena.

"Mmm, thank you." she exhaled as she felt the caffeine speed through her system. Hanssen watched as she visibly became more relaxed and simultaneously more awake. She turned and looked at him curiously. "I don't believe you've ever gotten me a coffee before." she smirked. She was secretly amazed he knew exactly how she took it. "A splash of milk and 2 sugars...that certainly wasn't in the personnel file." She watched as Hanssen shifted and became notably embarrassed. She decided to let the matter drop and looked over to where Michael was talking animatedly on his mobile. "It seems Michael wanted to make a phone call he felt unable to do in our presence!" Hanssen followed her gaze and watched as Michael began lowering his voice, a sleazy smile on his face.

"No doubt it is a private phone call Ms. Campbell. Contrary to popular belief there are some matters which should be kept that way." he threw her a sideways glance before finishing his coffee and throwing it into the bin. Serena followed suit and they both got into the car. Michael, seeing they were ready to leave, ended his phone call and rushed over.

"Well, I bet we all feel better now, don't we?" he smiled brightly as he leant forwards and put his hands on Serena's shoulders. "How about you, Rena?" he asked cheekily as she looked over at Hanssen and raised her eyebrows.

"Michael..." she purred "...I am so glad our little stop affected you so well...but if you don't remove your hands from my person, you will never operate again." she turned her head and smiled sweetly yet dangerously as he quickly withdrew his hands, turning red. Serena turned back to face the front and added "And for god's sake...stop calling me that." Michael smiled at the change of tone she used with the second threat. He knew she enjoyed telling him to stop it as much as he enjoyed winding her up. Hanssen pulled out of the Services and they continued on their journey, he was impressed and slightly attracted by Serena's dealing of the situation.

* * *

As they continued on their journey Jac and Michael began chatting about a patient they disagreed on last week.

"No, all I was saying was I wouldn't have taken the undue risk..." Michael was saying, as Jac interrupted.

"Even with the higher risk of failure, there was an increased risk of success!" Jac was stating passionately as Michael disagreed again.

Serena leaned over towards Hanssen slightly and whispered loud enough for only him to hear "Well at least he's stopped complaining about the _journey_. I was expecting him to launch into a chant of 'Are we there yet!?'" she smiled when she heard Hanssen snort back a laugh.

"Perhaps we should simply keep driving around and see how long it takes our Mr. Spence to notice." Hanssen suggested as Serena smiled wickedly at him.

"No, I do believe if I was to spend another hour stuck in the car, in his company we may have one less to check-in." she looked across at Hanssen who found the idea quite amusing.

Pulling up to the Hotel and parking, Michael leapt from the back of the car and began to take in his surroundings. Serena leant over and touched Hanssen's arm to get his attention, he froze under her touch but she didn't notice. "He's like an over-excitable puppy." she smiled fondly as she watched Jac attempt to keep away from him whilst checking her phone. Hanssen looked down at Serena's hand still resting on his arm, she followed his gaze and instantly withdrew it, remembering how he didn't like to be touched. "Sorry." she said as she climbed out of the car and moved around to the boot. Hanssen sat still for a moment, thinking. He hadn't minded her touching him, after the initial shock...in fact, he wanted her to touch him again. He shook his head and exited the car, striding to the boot and helping Serena with the cases.

Once they had all got their rooms sorted (the Board actually agreeing they were all to have separate rooms), they crammed into the lift and went up to their respective rooms. Michael and Jac were on the 4th floor, Serena and Hanssen the 5th. As they exited the lift, they looked left and right until they knew which direction to go in. They reached Serena's room and found Hanssen's was down the hall.

"Well Ms. Campbell, shall I call for you in about an hour?"Hanssen enquired as he watched her push her suitcase through the door.

"Yes okay. Then we'll go and fetch the children." she smiled warmly as she went into her room and closed the door. Hanssen chuckled to himself as he reached his own room and entered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Exactly an hour later, Serena heard a knock on her door and went to answer it. Hanssen stood there looking rested and wearing clean clothes.

"Nice shirt." murmured Serena as she motioned for him to enter her room as she concentrated on tying her necklace. "Bloody..." she cursed, not quite able to grasp the catch well enough.

"Allow me." Hanssen stepped forwards and took the necklace from her, gently clasping it in place and allowing his fingers to brush the skin on her neck. Serena tensed, as Hanssen felt an odd feeling in his stomach. He quickly stepped away as she turned to face him.

"Thank you." She quickly picked up her bag, without looking at him, and they left the room. Serena had changed her top too, Hanssen noticed. She was wearing a loose-flowing pink shirt with a black cardigan. She looked good. As they travelled down in the lift together, he couldn't help but smell her perfume in the air. It was heady with a hint of spice and his eyes wandered over her body, slightly tensed, standing close to him. The doors opened and they stepped out, Serena heading for Jac's room and Hanssen opting for Michael's. Within a few minutes they were all travelling down in the lift together, Michael commenting on how nice Serena looked. She smiled at him and reached a hand up to flatten his hair.

Once the lift doors opened, Michael took hold of Serena's arm and led her towards the conference whilst Hanssen hung back with Jac. Above the door was a large sign reading 'Surgical Conference'. Hanssen looked at Jac, who was typing away on her phone clearly composing an irate e-mail. As they reached the conference room, which was being held in a large ballroom, they were shown to their table. Michael had deserted them for a moment, distracted by a young female doctor he knew at another table. Hanssen pulled back Serena's chair for her and she gave him a surprised look before taking a seat. Jac simply yanked hers back and dropped into it heavily still focused on her phone. Hanssen took a seat next to Serena and edged his seat closer to hers as he couldn't see the stage from his previous angle. Serena reached in front of her and picked up the jug of water, pouring herself and Hanssen a glass, knowing he liked to drink water in public situations. She guessed it gave him something to do.

Hanssen disguised the look of surprise and gratitude he felt when he saw Serena pour a glass of water for himself as well as her. He always liked to have a glass of water to hand in social circumstances, it worked as a sort of shield for him. He turned to her and nodded his head.

"Thank you, Ms. Campbell." She turned to face him, glass of water in hand.

"Anytime, Mr. Hanssen." she had a wicked glint in her eye as she took a sip.

The conference began and various speakers graced the stage, finally it was Hanssen's turn. He stood up stiffly and made his way directly to the stage. "Good afternoon, as Mrs. Reynolds just said, my name is Henrik Hanssen and I am Director of Surgery at Holby City General Hospital. Now, to begin..." Serena watched as Hanssen slowly became more and more relaxed and began discussing how the running of the Hospital had changed since he had promoted Serena to Deputy CEO. He looked over at her once or twice, a glint in his eye and Serena looked away blushing. She realised he had finished his presentation when the room erupted into applause and several people looked over in her direction, acknowledging her.

Hanssen was stepping down from the stage when he noticed Serena blushing furiously. She was holding her glass of water in front of her face and smiling sweetly, yet filled with embarrassment. She caught Hanssen's eye as he re-took his seat and he smiled down at her. He was happy that he and Serena definitely had one thing in common, they attempted to hide when faced with an outpouring of emotion towards their achievements. Once the applause had died down and the attention of the room was on the next speaker, Serena leant over to him.

"If you ever do that again, I will hurt you." she threatened, with a playful glint in her eye. Hanssen turned to face her and whispered in her ear.

"I don't believe I have ever seen you embarrassed before, Ms. Campbell. Your cheeks were quite pink." Serena shot him a warning glare as he leant back in. "You looked quite beautiful." he stated as he leant back and returned his attention to the Consultant currently occupying the stage. Serena had stirred at the feel of his breath against her ear and felt disappointed when he had moved away. She couldn't believe that he had referred to her as beautiful. Not only that, but he had stated it as if it were the most simple of facts. Feeling slightly flustered, she reached for her water again. Jac leant over towards her and smirked.

"He's never done that before...sharing the glory." she gave Serena a wink and left the room quickly as her phone began to ring. Serena looked over to where Michael was currently sat at a completely different table with another young woman he clearly knew. She tapped Hanssen's thigh lightly and he turned sharply.

"Looks like Michael is working his way over to us by table-hopping." she smirked as she saw Hanssen raise his eyes to Michael and then back to Serena. He kept looking at her, her looking back, neither of them speaking until they were interrupted by the room erupting once again into applause. They both sprung apart and began clapping. Serena decided if she was to cope with any more speeches she would need alcohol. She stood up quickly and made a dash for the bar before the next speaker began.

Stood at the bar, Serena ordered a glass of wine for herself and realised she didn't know what Hanssen liked to drink. She ran her eyes over the top shelf of the bar before ordering a second glass of wine. As she was about to turn and walk back to the table, she felt a gentle hand on her lower back, she looked up to see Hanssen stood next to her, his gaze drifting to the wine she was holding.

"I wasn't sure what you liked." she admitted as she held out a glass to him.

"Luckily for you, I have been known to drink red wine occasionally." he smiled as he took a sip. "A very good one at that." he looked appreciatively at the glass and then at Serena. "I wondered where you'd got to, leaving me all alone." he looked almost glad she hadn't deserted him.

"Sorry, I just thought I'd make my escape quickly before my chances were scuppered." Hanssen didn't look like he wanted to head back to the table any time soon so she leant back against the bar, allowing the wine to warm her chest.

Hanssen gazed down at her, watching her leaning against the bar looking completely relaxed and he felt a pull in the pit of his stomach. He watched her take a sip of her drink, her eyes focussed far across the room at the current speaker, and found himself watching her neck as she swallowed. She did have a rather beautiful, elegant neck, he thought to himself. He found his gaze drifting downwards to where her shirt gaped open slightly revealing a hint of cleavage. He snapped his head away and scolded himself for allowing personal feelings to spill over about a work colleague. He had to admit, he had never _really_ looked at her this way before. Of course, there were instances back at Holby in his office when she had bent over the desk next to him or when she would storm away from him or even towards him...Hanssen had at times found his gaze and thoughts in these instances, turning to ones of unprofessionalism. He turned back and noticed her scrutinising him...had she seen him looking!?

Serena had noticed Hanssen's eyes on her, it was difficult not to. He had been staring at her neck and slowly lowered his gaze to her chest. She had almost choked on her wine when she had realised where he was looking. As he turned his head away, she took the opportunity to look him over. She had to admit, he was handsome in a rather angular, stoic way. He had piercing brown eyes, the same as her, which would fill with emotion and feeling when required. Her eyes dropped to the waistband of his trousers before she looked back up and their eyes locked.

* * *

They stood silent and still in the lift, facing front. Once the doors opened and they found themselves in the corridor, Serena produced her key and Hanssen's eyes lit up. They walked briskly towards her room and she unlocked the door quickly. Once inside the room, Serena dropped the key on the desk before turning and coming into contact with Hanssen's lips. Well he's a fast mover, Serena thought, as she helped him pull off his jacket before pushing him back against the wall.

Hanssen grabbed Serena and kissed her hard, his passion spilling over and him feeling the need to stay in contact with her. Her taste, her smell, her _touch_...was sending Hanssen into a passion he didn't know he possessed. He could feel her pushing against him and he turned them so she had _her_ back to the wall. He pulled back from her lips for a moment and looked into her eyes. She was breathing heavily and he could feel her heart hammering against her chest. Without speaking, he slowly reached up to the top button of her shirt and opened it, moving his hands to the next, all the while looking into her eyes, making sure this was what she wanted. Serena answered his silent question by reaching up and pulling off his tie before beginning on his own buttons.

* * *

Jac rushed back into the conference room and instantly noticed their table was empty. She looked around and spotted Michael talking to a young woman at the next table. She headed over to him and bent to whisper in his ear.

"Where are our illustrious leaders?" she asked as she nodded towards the table. Michael himself stood up to look and shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe they were overcome with passion and decided to head back to a room...get their money's worth!" he laughed as he sat back down and continued his conversation. Jac furrowed her brow and grumpily headed back to their table. She didn't want to admit it, but what Michael had said jokingly, made sense in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hanssen lay on the bed breathing heavily, Serena lying next to him. They both lay quietly, simply listening to each other's breathing. Hanssen couldn't believe what they had just done, and how badly he wanted to do it again. He turned his head towards Serena who was staring at the ceiling, trying to slow her breathing, raising a hand to her chest as it rose and fell rapidly. He reached over and took her hand in his. Her head turned to face him, a lazy smile creeping onto her lips. Hanssen was the first to speak.

"Well, that was...wow." he gasped as she ran a hand over his stomach.

"Hmm, I was going to say something else but I think 'wow' pretty much covers it." she smiled as she leant up on one elbow, facing him. He raised his hand and ran it down her cheek, following her jaw bone.

"Where did it come from?" asked Hanssen, clearly confused about where the sudden passion had emerged from.

"Do you know..." she whispered, as she lowered her face to within inches of his "...I think there's just something about Hotels." she grinned mischievously before lowering her lips onto his. She loved the taste of him, it was not what she had been expecting. She could feel his hands around her as he pulled her closer.

"Ah Serena." he breathed as she kissed his neck and she smiled.

* * *

Jac was all alone, being given funny looks and was ready to kill someone. A young Consultant from a neighbouring table waltzed over to her and stopped, eyeing her up. Jac looked up and laughed.

"Not in a million years!" She picked up her drink as the young man's face fell and he slumped away. She was just about to go on a hunt for her bosses when she saw them heading across the room. She watched them closely, Serena leading as Hanssen was preoccupied with something on his phone. Jac noticed she looked more relaxed than she had earlier, and she thought she knew why.

"Where the hell have you two been?" demanded Jac as Serena gave her shoulder an apologetic squeeze. "I've been sat here, on my own, for the past hour!" complained Jac as she sat back in her chair, crossing her arms.

"Sorry Jac, Mr. Hanssen received an urgent phone call." Serena explained as she sat down and sipped the water she had poured earlier.

"Well that accounts for _his _whereabouts..." Jac nodded at Hanssen who had returned to his seat next to Serena "...but what about you?"

"Well I..." Serena began before Hanssen cut across her.

"Ms. Campbell had a 'personal matter' to deal with, Miss Naylor. I am sorry we left you but I was under the impression there would still be one of us to keep you company." he looked up, searching the room for Michael.

"Yeah don't bother, Holby's answer to Casanova vanished long ago." Jac shuddered "With a young, blonde Doctor." she grimaced as she finished her drink and slammed the glass down heavily. "I'm getting another drink, do you want one?" she turned and asked both Serena and Hanssen.

"Red wine please." they both said together before looking embarrassed.

"Wow, already speaking in unison." Jac shook her head as she headed towards the bar. Serena turned quickly to Hanssen.

"Well she's clearly sussed us out." she said quietly as she noticed Hanssen's tie was on wrong.

"All she has are her suppositions." replied Hanssen, as Serena was busy fiddling with his tie. "Uh Ms. Campbell, what are you doing?" he looked down at her as she released her grip and turned away.

"Well if we're trying to act normal, you'd better sort that tie out. That is not a Henrik Hanssen tie." she noted, as she sipped her water. Hanssen looked down and saw that in his haste to get changed, he had put his tie on the wrong way around. He sighed as he took it off and started again. Serena watched him out of the corner of her eye, noticing his deft fingers, and thinking back to what they'd done upstairs. She shivered at the memory and smiled to herself.

Not half an hour ago, her and Hanssen had been in her hotel room, doing things she blushed at the memory of. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't notice Michael come strolling over to the table and sit down opposite her.

"Hey, anywhere nice?" he joked as he put his drink down in front of him.

"Hmm...sorry Michael. How was your escapade...I mean afternoon?" she smirked as she watched him squirm in his seat.

"It was fine, thanks. Where did you get off to? I looked over a bunch of times but Jac was the only one here." Michael looked at Hanssen and then back at Serena. Nothing seemed to have changed between them...they still seemed to have a professional aura about them.

"Mr. Hanssen had an urgent call, and I had a personal matter to attend to." she shuffled slightly in her chair as she felt Hanssen's knee touching hers.

"Ok, nothing too serious I hope?" asked Michael looking at Hanssen.

"Nothing to do with Holby." he answered, staring Michael down. Suddenly Jac appeared with their drinks and she sat down next to Michael.

"Ugh I can practically _feel_ the pheromones coming off you!" she spat as she leant away from him.

"Hey, a guy can't have a little fun on a weekend away?" he leant back in his chair, a wide grin across his face. Hanssen was ready to retaliate that _this _was a work's weekend, but considering what he and Serena had gotten up to, he felt slightly hypocritical. He smiled at the memory of being with her, in her bed. "What's got you smiling?" Michael asked as he noticed Hanssen's face change. "You look like the cat that got the cream!" Hanssen stiffened and glared at Michael until he looked away and began teasing Jac about her choice of drink. Serena watched him and Jac bouncing off each other when she felt a hand on her thigh. She held her breath as she felt Hanssen move his hand upwards.

"Well I think we should all go and get some food!" Serena smiled enthusiastically before getting ready to stand up.

"Ahh come on! We've only just got a round of drinks!" Michael pouted from across the table.

"Yes Ms. Campbell, there's no rush is there?" asked Hanssen, his hand still very present on her leg.

* * *

The four of them made their way out of the Hotel and in search of a nearby restaurant. Michael and Jac were using their phones to see who could find the best restaurant first. Hanssen and Serena, lagging behind, fell into a comfortable walking pace. She felt his hand graze hers a couple of times and hissed at him.

"What on earth did you think you were doing in there?" she kept looking ahead, her voice the only indication she was conversing with him.

"I'm sorry, upon reflection it was a rather thoughtless thing to do, under the circumstances."

"Especially with them only across the table! Michael doesn't miss a bloody trick, neither does Jac come to think of it!" she snapped, trying to keep her voice down.

"I didn't think." Hanssen whispered as he turned to look at her. "I just wanted..." he began.

"Yes I know 'what you just wanted'!" She turned and a smile played at her lips. "We can't be that stupid. If they found out anything happened we'd be in real trouble." Hanssen agreed, of course he did. If members of the Board found out he had slept with his Deputy whilst on a work's weekend, he'd be out of a job.

Serena sensed his worry and subtly reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go. She looked ahead and saw Jac looking in the window of a restaurant whilst Michael was still consulting his phone.

"Look, this is a nice place, with a variety of foods to suit us all. We are NOT going to a Chinese where all I can eat is grease!" she concluded as Serena and Hanssen caught them up.

"Well Miss. Naylor, this looks like it will serve our purposes." Hanssen reached for the door before anyone could object and ushered them in. Once they arrived at their table, Hanssen moved to take a seat next to Serena as Michael was busy chatting to a waitress.

"Dear God, he just keeps going, doesn't he!?" Jac looked at Michael and looked disgusted. As she turned back to the table, she noticed a waiter was approaching and instantly asked for a vodka & tonic. Serena and Hanssen once again opted for wine. The waiter made to leave before Michael appeared.

"Hey! I'll have a beer please."

"Any particular kind, sir?" asked the waiter, ready with the list in his head.

"Nah anything as long as it's wet and slips down easy." Michael looked over at Serena who was trying not to encourage him by smiling.

The meal was surprisingly pleasant, with all four laughing and joking, mostly _at _Michael. His attempts at trying to get the waitress' number were futile yet entertaining. Hanssen found himself enjoying their company, but especially Serena's. As the wine was flowing, she was relaxing more and unbeknownst to her, she was slowly moving closer to him. By the time they were ready to leave, they were all merry and Serena was almost sitting on his lap.

As they stepped out into the cold, they began walking back up the street when suddenly the waitress ran out of the restaurant towards Michael. She pressed her number into Michael's palm on a scrap of paper and kissed him. The three stood back and watched Michael, who promised he'd call her and turned back to them all.  
"I'm awesome." he drawled as he picked up Serena and swung her around.

"Michael!" she shouted out as he spun her around, kissing her cheek before placing her down, gently. Hanssen smiled as he saw Serena's cheeks flush where Michael had kissed her. She really was beautiful, he thought.

"I can't actually believe she gave you her number. My faith in the future of our race has been severely shaken." Jac said incredulously as she and Michael headed off back to the Hotel, arm in arm, laughing.

Serena and Hanssen stood awkwardly opposite each other before turning and following. With each step they moved closer together until they had their arms around each other, smiling as they walked.

As they reached the hotel, they saw Jac and Michael heading through to the bar to no doubt continue on their mission of getting completely and utterly falling-down drunk.

Serena felt Hanssen's arm tighten around her waist and his thumb begin to stroke her side. She looked up into his eyes and saw the desire in them. She pulled him towards the lift just as the doors were opening. Safe inside, Serena turned to him and found his lips. He pulled her closer to him as their breathing intensified and the kisses grew more intense. The lift opened onto their floor and they walked quickly, hand in hand, once again to Serena's room. She looked up at him and he nodded his agreement as she opened the door. His hands found her hips as he kissed her and they disappeared inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jac laughed as they made their way along the 5th floor corridor.

"Shhh, be quiet will ya?" whispered Michael as he drunkenly attempted to tip-toe his way towards Serena's room. He looked back and noticed Jac was no longer with him, she was leaning against the wall trying to hold her laughter in, her cheeks turning red with the effort. "Come on!" he beckoned, heading back to get her and stumbling into the wall opposite. Jac, who found it completely hilarious, let out a hysterical laugh.

"Michael...let's go!" she begged as she watched him trying to stand up straight.

"Don't ya wanna know what mom and dad get up to at night...all aloooooone!?" he sniggered as he reached for her hand.

"No! I really don't, this is disgusting!" Jac grabbed his arm to keep him steady, as she herself lost her balance and pulled him down with her to the floor. Michael began laughing uncontrollably at the hard-faced ginger Consultant lying beneath him, fixing him with a drunken glare.

"Get up, you useless American..." she didn't get to finish her sentence as they heard a door open down the corridor and Serena stuck her head out, looking for the source of the commotion. "Ah crap." laughed Jac as Michael turned to look at what had caught her attention. "Busted!" she shouted as she had a giggling fit. Serena marched down the corridor towards them and fixed them with her sternest glare.

"What do you think you are doing!?" she demanded as she watched Jac rolling around giggling helplessly on the floor. "Do you have _any _idea what time it is?" she pulled her dressing gown tighter around her, feeling a cool breeze.

"Hey...Hey RENA..." slurred Michael from the floor "...nice jammies!" he made to grab at her but she stepped away in time.

"I think it's best you both get to your rooms before Mr. Hanssen sees you like this." Serena warned as she nervously glanced back at her room only to see the door firmly closed. She had left Hanssen sleeping soundly but she was a light sleeper by nature.

"Ooh wouldn't want to disturb Mr. Hanssen!" he scoffed. "Tell me RENA...will he be coming out of his room...or yours?"

"Move it." she barked, kicking Michael.

"Owwww!" he protested as he stood up holding onto Jac. "It was just a joke! Come on Jac...I can tell when I'm not wanted!" he sulked.

"Finally." Serena turned around and headed back to her room, grateful she had had the good sense to put it on the latch before leaving. She stepped inside and closed the door, leaning against it and sighing.

"What was all that about?" mumbled Hanssen as he slowly sat up, running a hand over his face.

"The children decided to get inebriated." she grumbled as she headed to the other side of the bed and sat down. Hanssen was more alert now and made to climb off the bed. "Where are you going?" He turned back to look at her as he picked up his shirt and threw it on.

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I'll get back to my room." he said hurriedly attempting to locate his trousers when he felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Serena staring up at him.

"No you won't." Her voice was deep and filled with a commanding tone. She knelt up and pushed the shirt back off Hanssen's shoulders as he bent and kissed her. He wasn't about to argue.

* * *

"THAT..." Jac shouted as they reached Michael's room "...was the WORST idea you have EVER had Spence!" she pushed past him and threw her bag on the floor before collapsing on the bed, lying on her back.

"Come on!" he coaxed "It _was _funny!" a smile spread across his face.

"Waking Ms. Campbell and proceeding to imply she was shagging Hanssen!? Yeah sooo funny!" she spat sarcastically as she went towards the mini bar and emptied the contents.

"Hey! You know they charge the earth for that stuff!"

"Really? Then I'd better not do this..." she said as she unscrewed the cap of a rather expensive looking wine.

"Ah hey, come on!" Michael complained as she proceeded to down the contents. "At least give me some..." he sighed as he made his way to the bed and took a seat next to Jac. He picked up a bottle of whisky and unscrewed the top before gulping it down. Jac was on her third bottle when she suddenly stood up and answered her phone.

"Hey...yes I'm fine. No...had a bit of trouble with a drunk Michael Spence...No...Yes of course..." she turned at the sound of Michael making kissing noises and threw an empty bottle of Gin at his head.

"Owww." he whispered, rubbing his forehead.

"...What? Yes in Michael's room...Busy drinking the contents of his mini bar actually...Now hold on Maconie...How dare you!?...Same to you!" she threw the phone at her bag and plonked herself down on the bed again.

"Trouble in paradise?" winked Michael before handing her a bottle of whisky. "Come on, tell Michael all about it!" he snuggled closer to her as she finished the bottle and shuddered.

"Ugh please." she stuck her hand in his face as he grabbed it with his own, kissing it gently. Jac stared at him as he continued kissing up her arm. She could feel her senses were dulled and was quite enjoying the feeling of his lips on her skin. "Michael." she said suddenly, causing him to pause. "Just do it." she ordered as he swept the bottles to the floor and their lips met with an urgency. Jac pulled off her top and threw it across the room as she set about removing her jeans.

"Hey...let me..." Michael removed her jeans and kissed her stomach, smiling up at her before he moved down.

* * *

Serena awoke suddenly in the night, sitting bolt upright, gasping for breath. She'd been dreaming she was being chased by something...a shadow... She noticed she was shaking as she swung her legs off the bed and held on to the edge, focusing on getting her breath under control. She felt a movement behind her followed by an arm wrapping around her shoulders as Hanssen moved to sit next to her. In the dim light emanating from the lamp outside the window, she could see his face etched with concern.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, his hand rubbing her arm.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just a dream." she said as she calmed herself. She felt Hanssen get up and leave her side, the tap running, before he returned with a glass of water.

"Here. Drink this." he ordered gently as he knelt in front of her. Serena became suddenly conscious of the fact she was very naked. She tried to discreetly cross her arms in front of her chest and Hanssen seemed to understand. He moved over to the wardrobe and fetched her cardigan, gently wrapping it around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully as she sipped her water. Hanssen sat next to her and waited until she spoke.

"It was nothing, really. Just a dream." she reassured him as she put the water on the bedside table.

Hanssen was glad he hadn't left earlier, he wouldn't have liked for her to have awoken, scared, on her own. He climbed back into bed and watched as Serena took off the cardigan, throwing it onto the sofa as she climbed under the sheets and snuggled up to him. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and kissed her forehead. He never would have thought he would have been cuddling and comforting Serena Campbell in the middle of the night, but he also never thought he'd _want _to.

He lay awake in the dark for a while, listening to her breathing gradually get slower as she fell deeper asleep. Lying here now, holding her, he couldn't understand why he hadn't always been doing it. He realised his feelings for this woman were strong, not only physically, but emotionally. He kissed her head and closed his eyes, falling asleep with the feeling of her warm body pressed against his.

* * *

Jac awoke to a bright light streaming through the curtains and shining directly on her face.

"Oh God..." she muttered as she rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping Michael Spence. "Oh God!" she said slightly louder, flinching as he stirred. She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling as last night's antics came back to her. She thought back to when they had gone to Serena's room... "Oh God." she cried as she covered her face with her hands.

"Will you stop saying that!?" murmured a half-asleep Michael Spence from next to her.

"Why!?" she asked herself as she closed her eyes and tried to pretend it hadn't happened until his voice invaded her thoughts.

"Hey I am right here you know. I thought it was pretty great to be honest." he smiled as he saw Jac bristle at his words.

"Yes well...I can't believe we did this." she wrinkled her nose as details from last night came back to her.

"Well bad news honey, it wasn't just once..."

"Ugh shut up!" she said as she covered her face with her hands.

"Sorry cheekbones, but I saw a totally new side to you last night...I think I'm in love..." Michael leant across as if to kiss her as she moved her head away and ducked under the covers.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed as she hid.

"Hey...Jaaaaaac..." called Michael in a sing-song voice as he poked her.

"What!?" she snapped as she re-surfaced and looked at him.

"Don't worry. Last night was great, really great, but not a word of this is leaving this room okay?"

She nodded her head as Michael continued. "I know you're hung up on the Scot and I don't blame you. Nobody else needs to hear about this and we can put it down to a meaningless, drunken night of hot, passionate..."

"Okay I get the picture!" she snapped as she climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom. As she reached the door, she turned back. "Thanks for saying that." and with that she headed into the bathroom for a shower. Michael leant back against the pillows and understood what a perfect night it had been. Two colleagues, looking for a release had found it together.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you're all enjoying reading the story, I'm sure enjoying writing it! I wonder what will happen next...)**

**Chapter 5**

Serena woke to daylight streaming in through the gap in the curtains and smiled when she looked down to see Hanssen's arm around her waist. She didn't want to move. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and feel him pressed up against her...they were effectively 'spooning'. She reached out for the glass of water by the bed and felt Hanssen stir. She took a sip and placed it back, turning around and finding his eyes looking at her filled with something she hadn't seen before.

"Good morning." she smiled sweetly as she relaxed back against the pillows as Hanssen placed an arm across her stomach and leant up for a kiss.

"Good morning, Serena." he smiled as he sat staring into her eyes.

"You stayed." she whispered as she traced his arm with her finger.

"Of course." he answered "I didn't really have a strong enough argument against." She smiled as he took her face in his hands and kissed her gently yet firmly. She knew he was wondering if she regretted what had happened, but the truth was, she didn't.

"Hey..." she whispered as she took his hand in hers "No regrets." she said simply as she kissed his knuckles. He visibly relaxed and pulled her into an embrace, tilting her head back and kissing her delicately.

"None here either." He smiled as he saw a look of relief wash over her. "I suppose I should head back to my room and allow you to dress." he raised his eyebrows as he saw the time and Serena agreed. "I'll call for you in half an hour." Hanssen said as he climbed from the bed, threw on his clothes and left the room. Serena lay back quietly against the pillows, thinking about the night before. Her feelings for Hanssen had changed so suddenly. She thought back to a few weeks ago when she had been in his office and had caught herself looking at him as he had leant over the desk...maybe the feelings of attraction had always been there, but were busy being squashed by them locking horns on a regular basis. She smiled to herself, climbed swiftly out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

Jac emerged from the bathroom and stood at the foot of the bed waiting.

"What?" asked Michael as he stretched lazily.

"I need to get changed." she stated before he understood she wanted him to leave the room.

"Well I saw it all last night, but okay." he drawled as he headed for the bathroom "Try not to miss me too much" he laughed as he closed the door. Jac cringed. How on EARTH had she managed to spend the night with _HIM_? She hurriedly dried herself and dressed in her discarded clothes before grabbing her bag and heading to her own room.

As she opened her door she felt a whoosh of clean air and breathed a sigh of relief. She headed towards the bed and flopped down on it before retrieving her phone from her bag. 3 missed calls. She sighed as she turned on her back and pressed recall. She heard the dialling tone before a slightly groggy Scottish voice picked up the other end.

"Hello?"

"Jonny, it's Jac."

"Right...morning."

"Morning. Listen...sorry about yesterday."

"Already forgotten." Jac smiled and they continued their conversation for a further half an hour.

* * *

Michael climbed out of the shower to find his room empty. He had enjoyed last night but he couldn't believe he had slept with Jac Naylor of all people. She was the most uncaring, unfeeling human he had ever met. He shuddered at the memory and made himself a coffee to drink as he got changed. She had been so fiery, so passionate, but he also felt she had been in a hurry to get it over with. He knew she had feelings for Nurse Maconie, but clearly she didn't understand them quite yet. He thought back to last night and wondered if Hanssen had indeed been in Serena's room. Surely if he had she wouldn't have found the time to open the door to them, he mused as he towel dried his hair. He went over to check his phone and found a mobile number written on a piece of scrap paper next to it...the waitress. He groaned as he picked up the number and ran his thumb over it, it was surely too early to call her now. He sighed and put the number back on the desk before heading to look for some clean trousers he could wear. He rifled through his suitcase before coming across a clean pair of chinos. He pulled them on and set about texting Serena.

* * *

Serena was brushing her teeth when she heard her mobile signal she had a message. She left the bathroom, toothbrush hanging from her mouth to check her phone...Michael Spence. She dropped the phone back onto the desk and returned to brushing her teeth.

Once she'd finished, she picked up her phone once again and sat on the bed, preparing herself for the teasing she was surely about to receive. She opened the message.

_'Morning Serena. So sorry about last night...I was an idiot, but I'm suffering for it today! Breakfast? x'_

Serena marvelled at the fact he had used her full name for once and realised he must be feeling incredibly guilty. She was composing a message in return when there was a knock at the door. She went to open it and Hanssen strode in, searching for something.

"Have you lost something?" she asked as he bent down and retrieved his phone from under the bed.

"I thought I heard it drop last night." he said guiltily. His eyes came to rest on her.

"What?" she asked suspiciously as she continued composing the text message, hitting send.

_'Glad you're suffering, you deserve it. I'll see you down there. x'_

"Nothing, you look...beautiful." She smiled shyly. This wasn't the first time he had used the word, but it was irrelevant...she knew he really meant it. He moved over to her and kissed her deeply. She felt her breath quickening as he pulled away. "Mmm, I like peppermint." he said matter-of-factly before heading for the door and waiting for her to join him.

They headed towards the lift and he took hold of her hand.

"Don't be stupid." she said as she snatched her hand back. "Suppose someone sees!"

"I don't care." Hanssen took her hand once more in his.

"Well I do!" She snatched her hand away and stepped into the lift before him. He kept his gaze off her in the lift as they reached the ground floor. As Serena stepped out and moved towards the restaurant, she saw him turn the opposite way and leave the building. Without thinking twice, she followed him.

'He's a fast walker when he put his mind to it!' she thought to herself. "Henrik!" she called again, but he continued to ignore her. She felt herself getting slightly light-headed and decided chasing someone this early in the morning was not a good idea. She reached out her hand to grab the nearby railing and everything blurred as she fell to the floor with a thump.

* * *

"Ms. Campbell...Ms. Campbell can you hear me?" Serena opened her eyes to see Hanssen leaning over her, a concerned look on his face as he held one of her hands in his, taking her pulse. She blinked a couple of times before feeling completely aware of her surroundings and the circumstances which lead to this moment.

"Well, you stopped then." she smirked as she sat up slowly. She realised she had attracted quite a crowd, including Michael Spence.

"Serena are you ok? Do you feel alright?" he asked as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Yes Michael I'm fine, but do you really think one of the first sights I should see upon coming round, is your face?" she asked jokingly as he feigned shock-horror.

"Oh Serena, you cut me real deep just now!" he laughed as he took hold of her arm and helped her to her feet, holding a bottle of water out to her. "Here...dehydration gets us all." he smiled at Hanssen as he watched her take sips from the bottle.

"Thanks Michael, I feel much better now, you can stop fussing." she said as she swatted him away.

"Alright, I'll be inside with Jac if you need me, okay?" he turned and headed back to the hotel, shooing gawking passers-by as he went.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Hanssen "You went down with quite a bump."

"Not that you'd have noticed." Serena pulled her arm from his grasp and picked up her bag before turning to head back to the hotel.

"What's that meant to mean? I didn't know you were about to pass out!" Hanssen was angry, she could see the flash of emotion behind his eyes.

"Well if you hadn't been so careless upstairs, none of this would have happened!" she seethed as she marched away and into the hotel. Hanssen stood still, watching her go. She was right of course, as usual, he thought. He didn't know why he had grabbed her hand, he did it purely on impulse and hadn't thought it through properly. He sighed deeply and made to follow her inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Thanks for all the reviews, good and critical! I always appreciate all feedback. I do feel I should point out that this is NOT a story focussing on Jonny and Jac. If this is what you're expecting you may be sorely disappointed. Thank You :))**

**Chapter 6**

Jac and Michael were already sat at their table when Serena joined them. She pulled out a seat next to Michael and sat down, currently too upset to even contemplate sitting close to Hanssen.

"I heard you collapsed? Are you ok?" asked Jac, as she poured her a glass of water.

"Thank you, yes I'm fine. It seems moving at speed, early in the morning, on an empty stomach is _not _the best idea." she glanced up at Hanssen as he took a seat opposite her, eyes downcast.

"Where the heck were you two going anyway?" Michael, as usual, got right to the point. Hanssen looked up and froze momentarily, realising they hadn't thought of anything to say should such a question be asked. "You were moving at one hell of a speed!" Hanssen shifted slightly in his chair before Serena spoke.

"Mr. Hanssen and I were having a disagreement and he played his trump card...his long legs." The table was silent as Michael confusedly looked at Jac, who was smiling, and back to Serena.

"So you had an argument and he decided to out-manoeuvre you...physically..." Serena looked up and met Hanssen's gaze, amusement in his eyes.

"Oh yes." she smiled as she returned her look to Michael "After all, he knows he'd never stand a chance against me, verbally." she sipped her water as Michael shrugged his shoulders and beckoned a waiter over to take their order. Jac was looking quite jumpy this morning too, Serena noticed.

Hanssen was too busy watching Serena to notice the waiter had asked him what he wanted to order. All eyes fell on him as he cleared his throat. "A coffee, and toast please." The waiter dashed off having received all of their orders and they lapsed back into silence.

"Right, what's on the timetable for today then?" Michael asked, looking from Hanssen to Serena, who both went to pull out timetable sheets from their bags.

"Here, see for yourself." she passed her sheet to him and watched him turn his nose up at almost everything.

"Not one of these seminars is going to help me in _any _way!" he complained.

"Well I suggest you choose at least two. It is imperative that we attend at least three talks each this weekend. Have a closer look Mr. Spence, there's bound to be something you can cope with." he leant back and smirked as Michael's eyes widened at the thought of attending that many.

"I've already gotten mine sorted." said Jac, as she snatched the list from Michael. "10am-Cardiomyoplasty, 12pm-Angioplasty, 3pm-Transmyocardial Revascularization." she handed the sheet back to Michael and gave him a look of superiority. He stayed silent as he studied the timetable again. "What about you?" she looked pointedly at Serena.

"I have a few I'm interested in attending. I haven't fully decided yet." she bristled at the look of scepticism Jac was giving her. "Look..." she pointed at the timetable "...the talk on Revascularisation won't finish in time for me to attend the talk on Vascular Surgery...unless I sneak out early." Jac nodded and pulled out her phone, sending a quick message.

"Well Ms. Campbell, Vascular Surgery was my choice of the day as unfortunately I must attend a meeting with other Directors of Surgery this morning, preventing me from attending any other talks." he kept his face emotionless as he spoke to her and she did the same in return.

"Shall I save you a seat, Mr. Hanssen?" she kept her face deadpan as he smiled awkwardly in return.

Jac's phone alerted her to a new message and she chuckled before placing the phone on the table and leaning back, a satisfied look upon her face.

"What are you so happy about...?" asked Serena carefully, not entirely trusting the look on Jac's face.

"I'm great." she stated "I asked Mr. Weaver to push back his Vascular Surgery talk by half an hour and he agreed. You should be able to make both now." the look on Serena's face was priceless as she raised her eyebrows in shock and looked over at Hanssen.

"Well that was very _nice _of you..." she was clearly rather confused by Jac's seemingly selfless actions.

"No problem, at least this way Mr. Weaver now has a spare half an hour during which I can get his opinion on my Japanese procedure." Serena smiled, there was the Jac Naylor she knew...helping someone else if there was something in it for her.

* * *

Michael had disappeared in pursuit of a young female doctor he claimed to know as Jac headed to her first talk on 'Cardiomyoplasty' . That left Hanssen and Serena sat alone at the table, Hanssen trying to rid himself of the thoughts he was having.

"Serena..." he leant towards her across the table, as she leant in slightly "...I am sorry for my actions earlier. I was thoughtless and I suppose I was 'caught up in the moment'." he smiled weakly, awaiting her reply, hoping she would accept his apology.

"Henrik, it's fine...really. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, outside." she shrugged her shoulders "I simply didn't want you to make your own life, as well as mine, more difficult."

"I understand." he began fiddling with his un-used knife as he saw her hand reach over and rest on his. He turned his hand and linked his fingers through hers. "You'd best be getting to your 'Revascularisation' talk."

"It's not for another hour, so if it's all the same to you, I have something in mind to fill the time." Hanssen's eyes widened as he saw a sneaky smile cross her lips. "Not that...although perhaps later..." she paused, noticing the look of disappointment but also intrigue cross his face "I thought we might get some air."

"On one condition." Hanssen's face suddenly grew serious and Serena took a deep breath.

"What?"

"You remain upright at all times." he laughed as she removed her hand from his and picked up her bag, chuckling to herself.

They headed towards the entrance and were welcomed by the crisp morning air. Serena shivered slightly as she pulled her coat tighter around herself, breathing in deeply.

"Where now?" he asked as she opened her eyes and turned to the right.

"This way, I think." she smiled as Hanssen looked unsure but followed her nevertheless.

"Are we going anywhere specific?" he noticed she seemed to be keeping her eyes peeled for something in particular.

"You'll see." she answered cryptically as they continued walking down the street. Within 5 minutes, they had reached their destination. They stood before a small rusted, iron gate set into a hedge. Serena reached forward and pushed the gate open which replied with a large groan. She looked up and smiled mischievously at him before stepping through. Hanssen followed and found himself in a fairly large garden area. He closed the gate behind him and turned back to see Serena heading swiftly towards a small copse of trees. He strode to where she was currently standing and stood behind her.

Serena could feel his presence behind her, it felt nice to have company here. She reached back for his hand and pulled him a little ways into the trees until they came across a bench. She sat down and he sat next to her. She gazed out at the tall hedge completely surrounding their secret garden, reminiscing.

"I used to come here as a child. My grandmother lived in that house there." she pointed at a roof sticking up above the hedge in the distance. "Whenever my mum felt alone, or that she needed to be with the people she loved, this is where we came." she smiled at the memory and felt Hanssen wrap his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Those flowers over there...that's where my grandmother's ashes were scattered." she told him as he looked over to the rows of red roses planted in the corner. "This park was never really used, I suppose not many people knew it was here." she laughed "People see a hedge and think it's a hedge, they don't think what's _beyond _it."

"You were taught to look _beyond_ the ordinary." he stated "To always look for more. It's what makes you such a great Consultant." Serena raised her head to look at him as he leant in and their lips touched delicately. Hanssen reached up and stroked her face as she returned her head to rest on his chest, his arm firmly wrapped around her. She felt more content than she had in a while, but she knew deep down once they returned to Holby, whatever this was, would have to come to an end.

Hanssen looked down at the woman cuddling into him and marvelled that for someone who didn't like physical contact, he had sure had a lot of that over the past day or so. Hanssen had a problem. He was worried that once they returned to Holby, Serena would insist things returned to that of a professional nature and that they kept what had happened here as an isolated incident. The problem was, he didn't think he'd be able to. The problem was, he had begun to feel again.

* * *

Jac was sat right at the back of the room, wanting a quick escape to the next talk. As Professor Lehmann began to wrap things up, Jac felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Michael Spence.

"What!?" she snapped as she tried to keep on ear on the Professor.

"Where's Hanssen?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room.

"He said he had a meeting with the other Big Cheese's, didn't he?"

"Ah yeah. So, ready for 'Angioplasty'?" he asked as the room filled with applause and Jac stood up ready to leave.

"What? You're not coming." Michael looked slightly hurt as he lead the way from the room.

"Why not?"

"How about, because _I'm _going? Plus it's a procedure you will _never_ do!" as Jac was walking away Michael shouted after her.

"Okay well I'll see you later, honey!" she spun around and shot him a deadly glare, to which he reacted by raising his hands and walking towards the lifts. Jac smiled as she headed to see Mr. Weaver. As she drew nearer, she could see Serena stood talking to someone, clearly very uncomfortable. Jac headed straight for them and saw Serena's eyes light up in gratitude.

"Ah Miss. Naylor, that time already? Well Roger, it was great catching up but I really must get on. Send my regards to your wife." Roger reached out and grasped her hand firmly between his own and pulled her forward as he kissed her on the cheek. Serena couldn't get away fast enough and she shuddered as she turned to Jac. "Thanks for that. The cretinous man."

"Am I allowed to ask?" she raised her eyebrows as she saw Serena stiffen.

"I worked with him a while ago, seems he carried a bit of a torch for me. He pestered me no-end." Jac nodded her understanding, touching Serena's arm briefly before setting off to find Mr. Weaver and discuss her newly acquired procedure techniques.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Well, I found myself at a loose end, with a lovely bottle of wine and typing happened. Please enjoy :) )**

**Chapter 7**

Serena took a seat in the room the 'Vascular Surgery' talk was being held in and waited for Hanssen to appear. She felt a presence to her left and looked up expecting to see him, and a look of shock appeared on her face as she looked into Roger's eyes.

"Serena! Mind if I sit there?" he pointed to the only vacant seat on her right as she was sat in an aisle seat.

"Well actually, this seat's reserved." she said carefully, placing her bag there to comfort herself slightly.

"Reserved for who? Come on, they can find another seat!" he made a movement towards her and she started to panic.

"No. I already told you..."

"Is there a problem here?" interrupted Hanssen as he drew himself up to his full height and glared at Roger.

"No, no problem." he said, looking down at Serena. "We need to catch up. See you later." he walked away leaving Serena breathing heavily, her face drained of colour. Hanssen noticed the fear on her face and stared after the man who had clearly upset her. He took his seat next to her and reached subtly for her hand.

"Are you alright?" Serena turned her head to him and smiled weakly.

"Yes, sorry. I used to work with him...horrid creature." she tightened her grip on his hand as she looked to see where he'd gone.

Hanssen had just stepped into the room when his eyes had found Serena. He had started making his way towards her when he noticed she looked scared. He looked to her left and saw a man towering over her, a leering look on his face. The man was clearly attempting to sit next to her as he saw her move her handbag to the chair. Her eyes were fixed in panic on the man in front of her and Hanssen wanted to punch him. Instead, he settled on drawing himself up to his full height, donning his best menacing look and sending the man scuttling away. He hadn't liked the way Serena had reacted to this man. He held her hand tighter and stroked the back with his thumb.

"Are you going to tell me the truth?" He felt Serena stiffen and her eyes found his.

"Not here." she said simply as she turned her attention to the stage as Mr. Weaver stepped forward and raised his hands for silence. This was an improvement, Hanssen thought. She hadn't said no.

* * *

Jac was sat at the bar, unwinding from a long day. She had to admit, she had learnt something from each of the talks, even if it was things she disagreed with. She returned her attention to the ice-cold bottle of beer in front of her and sighed. She had been thinking about Jonny since their talk this morning. So far nothing much had happened between them and she still didn't know whether she wanted it to or not. She got the impression that he was an 'all or nothing' kind of person and she knew she wasn't looking for that...was she? She picked up her drink and took a glug before she noticed Michael jump onto the bar stool next to her.

"Great minds, eh?" he commented as he received a beer from the barman.

"Evidently." she nodded, taking another sip.

"You're looking thoughtful Naylor...everything ok?" she turned to see him looking down at his beer, clearly needing to unwind from his day.

"Yeah, great. How about you?"

"Fabulous. I wasted a day of my life attending talks I really could have given myself. I'm kinda needing this beer!" Jac snorted.

"You really do think highly of yourself don't you?"

"Well someone's gotta!" he laughed as he took a swig of beer. "So, you and nursey...what is that?" Jac didn't even bother to look at him, choosing instead to stare at the beer in her hand.

"You mean why would _anyone_ be interested in me...the Ice Queen of Darwin. Cheekbones as sharp as razors..."

"...and a tongue to match!" he finished as she nodded slightly and took another swig. "No, I'm serious though...you and him?" he leant his elbows on the bar, head turned towards her watching her wrestling with her thoughts.

"We slept together." Michael raised an eyebrow.

"That's all you're gonna give me? Come on, it's obvious to _everyone_ you slept together...I'm asking is there more?" Jac was about to speak but stopped, looking up at Michael. His face was filled with kindness and genuine interest. For once, he wasn't trying to weasel gossip to satisfy his own needs. She sighed and pursed her lips.

"That's all there is. We slept together, he's fallen head-over-heels and I'm struggling. I haven't had anyone want me like that in a long time." she took a swig of her beer and turned to face him. "Why do I _have _to know how I feel? Why can't it simply be a case of seeing where it goes? I have zero thoughts for the future concerning him. I'm not good with people." she finished as Michael put an arm around her and he smiled.

"Hey, it's not that you're not good with people...you're just guarded. I mean my God...if I had been through _half_ of what you have, then I think I'd be the same." she smiled at him and punched his arm lightly.

"Thanks Spence. Another?" she asked indicating his drink.

"Baby you read my mind!"

* * *

Serena was in her room having just called Eleanor to check-in and decided to see if Hanssen had spoken with Ric back at Holby yet. She made her way to his room and knocked on the door, waiting as she heard him shuffling around the room before he appeared. She looked him up and down, he had clearly been in the middle of changing as his shirt was still undone. Without saying a word she reached out and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating into her palm. His eyes darkened as he stepped back into his room, taking her with him.

Serena was lying on her back, Hanssen lying with his head on her chest, running her fingers through his hair. He had wrapped his body around her so all she could feel was his warmth, filtering through to her. She sighed and giggled as she felt his hand creeping across her stomach.

"Can you tell me now?" he asked quietly. He wanted to know about the man who had upset her, but he had decided not to push the matter...if she wanted to tell him, she would. He felt her heart beat slightly faster as she prepared her answer.

"As I said, I used to work with him. He took a liking to me and wouldn't leave me alone." she stated as she felt his arm wrap tighter around her. "One evening, I was on a late shift and I put myself in a terrible position." she paused and Hanssen was beginning to think he didn't actually want to know the story after all. He waited for her to continue, knowing this was not the time to interrupt her. "What happened was the result of placing myself in a dangerous situation. We were alone in his office looking over a patient's notes when he kissed me. I pulled away and he got angry..well...violent." Hanssen sat bolt upright and looked down at her, a rage boiling within him. "No!" she shouted as she understood where his mind had gone and she sat up to meet him. "No! He wouldn't do that!" she took his face in her hands and kissed him before continuing.

"He got angry that I had apparently been 'leading him on' and then knocked him back so...he hit me." she pointed to the spot above her left eyebrow and Hanssen could see a very faint scar he hadn't noticed before. "His wedding ring." she said by way of explanation. "He back-handed me so hard his wedding ring tore open the skin and I had a concussion. Just for good measure, he decided to threaten me before leaving me to bleed on his office floor. He told me that if I was to tell anyone of what he'd done, no one would believe me because _I_ had gone willingly to _his_ office. He said all he'd need to do would be to say I'd tripped and knocked myself out on the corner of the desk." Hanssen couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was utterly shocked, but he had to know what had happened next.

"What did you do?"

"Wasted no time in filing an official complaint of course." Hanssen found himself smiling at her bloody-mindedness. "I wasn't going to be intimidated by that arrogant sleaze-bag. He was instantly suspended from his position. It appears he had done something similar and become fixated on a female registrar at a previous Hospital. The stupid pillock actually thought he could go up against me." she snorted "Hence why he's not exactly _thrilled_ to see me. His reputation has a permanent black mark over it and he blames me." she shrugged and smiled up at Hanssen. He reached for her hand and held it tight.

"Nevertheless, it must have been scary and I'm sorry you had to go through that." she laughed as she shuffled closer to him.

"Yes it was momentarily...but that soon turned into an anger. The fact he thought he had the right to treat me like that because in his eyes I had been provoking him. I'm glad he chose me, someone weaker may not have been able to stand up to him." Hanssen didn't know where it came from but it suddenly hit him, right then and there, that _this _was a woman he always wanted to protect and hold. She was so incredibly strong and such a moral person, especially saying she was happy he'd attacked her rather than someone else, always putting others first. He grabbed her and pulled her close kissing her with every ounce of feeling he had. He felt her respond immediately and she gave him everything she had in return. Their kisses soon turned more heated and he gently pushed her backwards as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him with her.


	8. Chapter 8

**(Thank you all for your continuing support! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!)**

**Chapter 8**

"Am I a person?" Jac asked as she tried to keep a straight face.

"So legend has it..." Michael sniggered as he re-read the name he had written on her forehead.

"Am I female?" Michael shook his head and she cursed.

"Right, my turn! Am I a person?" he asked as Jac tried to suppress her laughter, knowing he'd never guess.

"No. Ok...am I...oh well this is easy, I'm Hanssen!" she exclaimed excitedly as Michael threw back his head.

"Yeah, no fair! Right, what did you write on me...come on." she shook her head.

"No...I still want you to try and guess. That's what you made me do when you gave me Mo Farah!" she laughed as he rolled his eyes dramatically and almost fell back off the barstool.

"Okay...I'm _not_ a person...am I a THING?" he emphasized as he leant forwards placing his hands on her knees as they were in between his.

"You are indeed a thing!" she smiled as the look of bewilderment set itself on his face.

"Ah man, I could be literally anything!" he complained as she leant forwards clapping his face playfully.

"I know, that's the beauty of it!" Michael scowled and turned to the barman and asked for refills. He calculated they must have had close to 8 beers each and he was feeling very good indeed.

"Come on...Scott...help me out here!" he begged the barman, having learnt his name hours ago after roping him into joining a game of charades.

"NO SCOTT! Don't you dare!" shouted Jac as he shrugged his shoulders apologetically to Michael.

"Sorry mate, Boss says no." he moved away and continued cleaning the bar. Jac sat up straighter and she pointed a finger in his face.

"The only way you get out of this one, is to admit that I am the best..." Michael looked at her questioningly.

"The best at what?"

"Just the best." she smiled as he leant forwards so his face was inches from hers.

"Okay Jac Naylor, you wanna play? Fine. Let's go. Am I a rubber duck?" he attempted as she shook her head vehemently. "Am I a 12 foot squid statue?" Jac has just been taking a sip of her drink and she choked as she burst out laughing.

"What on earth!? WHY would you be a 12 foot squid statue?" she asked as her eyes began watering.

"My mate had one once...kept it in the garden." he said seriously as Jac continued laughing heartily. "Fine, I give up!" Michael stood up and climbed onto a nearby chair. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE BAR AREA..." he said loudly as people turned to stare at him, "I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE..." Jac shot him a warning look but he simply smiled and carried on "MY CO-WORKER JAC NAYLOR HERE, IS THE BEST! Thanks for your time!" he said before stumbling off the chair and returned to his barstool opposite Jac. She was turning bright red and looking at something over his shoulder. He was about to speak when he felt a firm hand come to rest on his shoulder.

"Well this is what we like to see, isn't that right Ms. Campbell? Respect among colleagues!" Hanssen smirked as he looked him in the eye and went to fetch a barstool for Serena. He placed it next to Jac's, not trusting Michael not to get on her nerves.

"Thank you, Mr. Hanssen." she smiled as she sat down and instantly realised how drunk Jac was, when she leant over and gave her a hug.

"Ah Serena, where have you been all evening?" she asked as Serena laughed at the fact she had 'HENIRK HANSSES' written on her forehead. She turned to look at Michael.

"I'm guessing _you_ wrote that on Miss. Naylor's head?" she asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yeah." he smiled, pleased with himself.

"That makes sense." she smirked at the expression of bewilderment on Hanssen's face as he registered the drunken attempt at spelling his name.

"Wait...what does mine say?" Michael asked, leaning forwards pointing his finger at his forehead. Serena looked sideways at Jac, who nodded it was ok.

"Toilet Brush." she stated simply as Jac once again dissolved into fits of laughter.

"What!? Oh man get this off my head!" he grumbled as Jac grabbed a serviette from the bar, licked it and set about wiping his face like a mother would a child. "Yww gross! Get off!" he laughed as he leant forwards, grabbing Jac around her waist and picking her up. She screamed her protests as he refused to put her down.

"Michael, put her down before you hurt yourself." Serena scolded as Hanssen handed her a glass of red wine. "Thank you." she smiled before raising the glass to her lips and taking a deep drink. Michael dropped Jac back into her seat and returned to his own, eyeing Hanssen over.

"So once again, the duty falls to me to ask you both...where have you been?" sang Michael as Hanssen looked at Serena and raised his eyebrows. He clearly wasn't used to seeing Michael drunk, whereas for Serena, this was a regular occurrence on Fridays evenings.

"Michael, don't you know it's rude to question your seniors?" she scolded lightly as Michael snorted.

"Sorry RENA!" Serena exhaled, seeing the direction the night would take. She _was_ hoping that this would be one of the rare nights he forgot about teasing her, but apparently not. She looked over at Hanssen who looked surprised at the use of a pet-name. She sighed and took another sip of her drink.

"Renaaaaa..." Michael sang as Serena gave him a long-suffering look.

"What?"

"You look pretty tonight. It looks like conferences have a positive effect on you!" Serena blushed as she saw Hanssen smile into his glass.

"It must be spending time in your dazzling company." she answered sarcastically as Michael smiled at her. She looked at Jac who was currently absorbed in the task of trying to see how many beer mats she could flip into the air simultaneously.

"Uh Ms. Campbell..." warned Hanssen. She turned to face him and saw him looking at something behind her, she turned and saw Roger had entered the bar and threw her a vicious look. He went and sat at a table with another man and seemed to ignore her. She turned back to Hanssen and she could see the look of hatred in his eyes as he kept looking at them. She reached out and touched his knee lightly.

"He's not worth it..._trust_ me." she said as he reached and grabbed her hand without thinking. His eyes instantly widened and he snatched his hand away before Michael or Jac had a chance to see anything. Serena glanced at them nervously but Michael was busy attempting to send a text message and Jac was still absorbed with the beer mats. They both breathed a sigh of relief and Hanssen kicked himself for being so stupid.

Michael's ears had perked up at the sound of a seemingly familiar song and he gasped loudly and looked pointedly at Serena, waiting for it to register. As soon as she heard the first few bars, she looked over at Michael who was smiling at her expectantly.

"Oh no!" she commanded as she held onto her drink tightly.

"Come on Rena!" Michael pleaded as he gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.

"No. No way!" she replied sternly looking away. Hanssen was intrigued.

"May I enquire as to what it is you're attempting to get Ms. Campbell to do?" Hanssen asked Michael whose eyes instantly lit up and he turned to face him. "You haven't heard her sing!?" Hanssen's head turned suddenly to Serena, who was busy attempting to hide behind her glass.

"No, I can't say I have." he answered, suddenly feeling jealous that Michael Spence had witnessed something from Serena that he had not.

"Ah man! Serena, now you gotta do it!" Michael pleaded, but Serena simply ignored him. "Right...every Friday night at Albie's we have 'Open Mic Night', you know, anyone can get up and sing. Anyway, one weekend, Ric and I manage to ply her with enough alcohol and persuade her to get up and sing, thinking she'd be awful and we could all have a right laugh." Serena looked up, feeling slightly wounded.

"Wow, thanks Michael!" she snapped as she turned back to her wine.

"Yeah yeah, ANYWAY...she gets up there and suddenly this voice comes from _nowhere_! I mean literally, the pub just goes silent instantly and everyone's listening to her." Michael was clearly thinking back as a twinkle appeared in his eyes and he smiled. "Mr. Hanssen, she was _amazing_. So now, every Friday night, we try and get her back up there...but she simply refuses." he looked at Serena again, batting his eyelashes at her. Hanssen turned his head and caught the look of awkwardness in her eyes.

"Oh shut up Michael."

"No. This is the song she sang that first night. She was incredible." Michael sat back in his chair and picked up his drink. Jac had realised what they were talking about and joined in.

"I have to say Serena, you know I don't go to Albie's that often, and you _know _I'd never normally agree with him..." she nodded at Michael "...but this time he's right. Your voice is nothing short of incredible." Serena turned and smiled at Jac before returning to avoid looking at Hanssen.

"Will you sing?" he suddenly asked. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his and felt her stomach drop. She was not going to do this.

"It's not bloody karaoke!" she argued "We are in a public place and these people will _not_ want their night interrupted with my shouting." Michael knew when he was beaten and sighed heavily.

"Well ok, but I think you'd be livening the place up a bit." he took a sip of his drink and engaged Jac in a conversation. Hanssen slowly moved his chair closer to Serena's and sat silent for a few moments before speaking.

"Will you sing for _me_?" he asked quietly as she looked up and their eyes met. She felt her heart beat faster as he gazed deep into her eyes, taking everything away so there was only the two of them.

"I can't." she whispered as she saw the look of determination in his eyes.

"They say you can. Please?" She could feel the heat coming off his body and feel his breath on her face.

"Okay." she said as he smiled and sat back sipping his drink.

"Hey Scott! Top up pal!" Michael shouted down the bar as Serena rolled her eyes but held her empty glass out to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**(Thank you again to all you lovely people who are reading and reviewing this story! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.)**

**Chapter 9**

It was late and Serena began to feel the effects of the wine. She looked over to where Jac and Michael were currently in the middle of a very vocal arm-wrestling competition with two other young doctors they'd teamed up with, and she rolled her eyes. She could feel Hanssen's ever-present gaze on her as she finished her wine. She looked up at him and he smiled, nodding at her glass.

"Another?" She shook her head quickly and made to stand up.

"No, I think I've had _quite_ enough." she smiled before reaching for her bag. "I'm going to get some air." she said as she saw Hanssen make a move to join her. "No, you stay here and keep an eye on the children, I'll be back in a minute." she turned and headed back through the bar and across the hotel lobby before she found herself on the street, breathing in the night air. She turned to the right and took a few steps when she was suddenly pushed violently against the wall. She could feel the cold cement through the back of her shirt as she realised what had happened. Roger had her pinned with his arm across her throat, pushing it tighter.

"So how about we have that 'chat' now?" he snarled as she tried to take a breath. She grabbed at his arm, trying to pull it away from her but he had his full weight behind him.

"Please...you're...choking me..." she croaked as he pushed his arm harder against her throat. She could feel her face turning hot and her eyes began bulging as she registered the strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

"You're lucky that's all I'm doing...you _ruined_ my reputation and now, I'll ruin you." her eyes began to roll back in her head as she desperately tried to take a breath. Roger inched his face closer. "You frigid little..." suddenly the pressure on her throat was gone and she fell to the floor gulping the cold night air down into her lungs. She looked up to see Hanssen grab Roger by the lapels and shove him backwards onto the pavement. He towered over him, his fist raised back as he spoke to him, eerily quiet.

"If you _ever_ think of touching her again, I _will_ hurt you. Not only that, but I will do far worse than 'ruin your reputation'. You will be lucky to be allowed anywhere _near_ a Hospital by the time I am finished with you." the look of fear in Roger's eyes was enough for Hanssen as he lowered his arm and let him go. He watched as Roger made his way down the street, clearly angry. He turned back to see Serena was on the floor, holding her throat. Her breathing had almost returned to normal but her throat was turning red from the pressure of being squeezed. He moved quickly over to her and knelt down as she looked up at him.

"Thank you." she whispered as he pulled her into an embrace, right there on the cold pavement.

"I saw him follow you after you'd left. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, he was faster than I anticipated." he admitted as she laughed into his chest. She pulled back and looked at him closely.

"Thank you." she said again as she leant forward and pressed her lips to his. "You should have knocked him out." she said and Hanssen smiled.

"Believe me, I was very close to it." he stood up and reached his hand out to her, pulling her up. He gazed into her eyes and the corners of his mouth twitched. "I think we'd better get you to bed, Ms. Campbell." He saw the mischievous glint in her eye as she smiled innocently.

"On whose authority?"

"Doctor's orders." he replied pulling her closer.

"Well then..." she whispered "...lead the way."

* * *

"Hey come on! Like that's fair!?" Michael complained as Jac returned to her seat with a fifth phone number.

"What can I say...I'm the best." she teased as Michael glared at the piece of paper.

"Yeah, we'll soon see about that!" he slid off the barstool and approached a young woman across the bar. Jac watched in disbelief as Michael sidled up to her, clearly giving her a chat-up line before her face turned from amusement to anger and she slapped him. Jac was in hysterics by the time Michael returned, rubbing his cheek.

"What on EARTH did you say to this one!?" Jac laughed as she saw his cheek turning red.

"Nothing! All I said was I knew where she'd be spending the night!" Jac stopped laughing and gave him a look of incredulity.

"And you're wondering why she hit you? You're a pig." she said as she took a swig of her beer.

"Yeah well, it wasn't a fair contest anyway, there are way more men than women here." he said, gesturing with his arm and tipping his drink on the floor. "Oops." he sniggered as Jac began laughing again. "Hey! You know what might be fun..." he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Gross, don't you ever do that in my presence again..." she scolded, but was interested in his idea. "...what will be fun?" she asked as he leant towards her and they rested their foreheads together.

"Taking the lift up to the fifth floor..." Jac cut him off seeing where this was leading once again.

"No! I do not want to hear Hanssen getting his leg over, thanks!" she shuddered as she drained her beer.

"No, I'm not talking about that! But...seeing as we clearly know he'll be in Serena's room...this is totally wrong and we may in fact be breaking the rules...but I'll bet his mini-bar is fully stocked." a dangerous smile crept onto Jac's face as she reached for her bag on the bar and slid off her chair.

"Well come on then, have you ever known me to play by the rules?" she giggled as she headed to the Reception to request another key. Michael snorted and followed her, finding his eyes drifting towards her behind as she walked.

They reached the fifth floor and attempted, once again, to tiptoe down the hallway. They were almost at Serena's room when Jac started singing the Mission Impossible theme and Michael dissolved into fits of laughter. He watched as she stuck herself to the wall and pretended her hand was a gun, glancing left and right before running across to the wall opposite and doing the same.

"Dun dun, du du, dun dun, du du, DOO DOO DOO..." they both passed Serena's room and reached Hanssen's door. As Michael desperately tried to stop himself laughing at the expression of 'Spy Mode' on Jac's face, he failed to notice that the door in front of them was opening, until Hanssen stood in the doorway, staring down at the two, very drunk, Consultants. Jac was still oblivious and continued her charade until she walked backwards into him.

"DOO DOO DOO..." she knew instantly what had happened, as she saw Michael standing in front of her, a look of horror on his face before he burst out laughing once again. Jac reached her hand behind her and felt a belt buckle. Without turning around she swallowed and shouted to Michael.

"I've been compromised! ABORT!" she ran forwards grabbing Michael's hand as they fled back towards the lifts. Once they'd turned the corner Hanssen chuckled, turned around and went back into the room.

"Are the children inebriated once again?" he heard Serena ask as he walked into the room and looked at her before nodding and smiling. She was lying in bed, propped up on her elbow and laughed before turning onto her back and smiling at the ceiling. "I really hope they have the world's worst hangovers tomorrow." Hanssen laughed and began to undress again as he climbed back into bed, reaching an arm around her, pulling her to his chest. He heard her sigh contentedly as she began tracing patterns on his stomach with her finger.

"You promised me a song." Hanssen suddenly said and her hand froze. He reached down and took hold of it, raising her fingers to his lips. She didn't reply and he was about to think he'd annoyed her, when she started singing softly.

_"Her hair is Harlowe Gold,_

_Her lips sweet surprise,_

_Her hands are never cold,_

_She's got Bette Davis eyes..."_

She paused and Hanssen turned his head to look at her. "Carry on." he breathed as he nuzzled into the side of her neck. Serena couldn't help it, a smile took over her face as she continued softly.

_"...She'll turn the music on you,_

_You won't have to think twice,_

_She's pure as New York snow,_

_She's got Bette Davis eyes."_

She felt Hanssen kiss her neck gently as he turned onto his side to face her. "As much as I hate to admit it..." he paused, noticing a look of worry cross her face as she stared at him, biting her lip "...but Michael was right." She exhaled and looked down at the mattress, embarrassed. "You have the most wonderful voice...like velvet." he commented as she laughed.

"I haven't sung to anyone in a long time. Not since Eleanor was a child." she admitted as he began running his hand through her hair.

"Thank you for doing so for me." he smiled as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. She moved so she was resting her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. As they lay there, drifting off to sleep, he thought about their return to Holby the following day. He knew he didn't want this to end as he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to a platonic relationship with the woman he had developed such strong feelings for.

Serena relaxed into Hanssen's arms and as she was drifting off to sleep, she realised that tomorrow, whether they wanted it to or not, their 'relationship' would change. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to simply go back to the way things were. She had seen a different side to him since they had arrived, a side she had known was there somewhere as she had seen glimpses before, but there was still so much she hadn't seen. She surprised herself by realising that she _wanted_ to.


	10. Chapter 10

**(New Update! Please review and let me know what you think :) )**

**Chapter 10**

"I'd make the _best_ spy!" Jac protested as she flopped down on the bed, pulling her shoes off. "I mean, did you _see_ those moves?" Michael still hadn't stopped laughing, remembering the look of surprise on Hanssen's face. He stumbled over to the bed and lay down next to Jac, who was having difficulty untying her laces.

"Jac, you were so loud that he clearly had time to get dressed before opening the door!" Jac turned and frowned at him.

"How do you know he was undressed in the first place? I think your theory about him and Serena is completely wrong...she wasn't even there." Michael sat up suddenly, his eyes wide with excitement.

"No, you didn't see him, I did. His shirt was done up wrong...he clearly threw it on in a hurry...PLUS, if Serena had been in her room, don't you think she'd have come out and given us a bollocking like she did _last _night?" Jac considered his argument for a moment before he continued "AND...while you were busy barging into him, I got a good look into his room." he paused as a smile reached his lips "I am telling you, there was definitely a woman's bra on the floor." Jac's eyebrows shot up as she registered what this meant.

"So...they _were_ actually...Oh my God!" she cringed as she fell back onto the bed, covering her face.

"I told you!" Michael smirked as Jac turned her head towards him and their eyes locked. She felt her pulse quicken as he got a lustful look in his eye. He edged closer until he was looking directly down at her and leant in until their lips touched. Jac found her arm reaching around his neck as his lips pushed her further into the mattress. He ran a hand down her top and reached under, grabbing her waist. He could hear her breathing becoming faster as their kisses became more frantic until she pushed him lightly and their lips parted. He stared down at her and she tried to slow her breathing.

"I'd better get back to my room..." she said as a look of disappointment washed over his face. Just as she was about to sit up he spoke.

"Or..." he paused as Jac's face instantly lit up.

"I like 'Or'..." she smiled as she sat up and kissed him, pushing him back onto the bed.

* * *

Hanssen awoke early and turned his head towards Serena. She was sleeping peacefully as he carefully extracted himself from the bed, making his way to the bathroom. He climbed in the shower and revelled in the hot water pounding down on his skin, waking him up. Facing the wall, looking up into the water, he was totally unprepared for the feeling of a pair of hands snaking around his waist. He jumped and spun around, his heart hammering in his chest. He found himself face to face with Serena, a coy look on her face as she stepped closer. He laughed and exhaled loudly before reaching out for her and pulling her closer. She ran her hands down his chest as he ran his hands down her back. She smiled at him as he pulled her up towards him and their lips came together with such passion, the shower was soon forgotten about.

* * *

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jac whimpered, with her forearm covering her face. "What is _wrong_ with us?" Michael reached out and grabbed her hand, lifting her arm away from her face.

"Come on Naylor, it's not like we _killed_ anyone. It was the alcohol...! Come to think of it, it's always the alcohol." he mused as he let go of her hand and reached for the bottle of water by the bed.

"Michael this can't have happened again." she complained as she reached for her phone, checking the time. "Oh God and we're late for breakfast!" she growled as she threw back the duvet and raced around the room picking up her articles of clothing and dressing quickly. When she noticed Michael hadn't moved, she turned to face him, about to put her t-shirt on. "Why aren't you moving!? GET UP!" she snapped as she grabbed hold of the bottom of the duvet and yanked it off him.

"WOAH, HEY!" he shouted, grabbing a pillow to cover himself up.

"Look, Spence, if we are not down at breakfast in the next 5 minutes, considering what we got up to last night, we are in some serious trouble. Now get yourself in that bathroom and have a wash. I'm going back to my room and I'll meet you downstairs." Michael simply smiled at her.

"What!?" she asked, exasperated.

"There she is." Michael smirked "There's that 'Hard as nails Naylor'. I thought you'd gone soft on me for a minute." she scowled at him as she picked up her bag and turned back.

"5 minutes!" she reminded him as she raced from the room. Michael smiled to himself before his phone began ringing. He checked the caller ID...Hanssen. 'Here we go' he thought as he answered the call.

* * *

Jac almost ran back to her room, cursing her stupidity. She entered the room, throwing her bag onto the bed and instantly taking off her clothes. She had a very quick wash and found some clean clothes to wear. She knew they had a final talk this morning and they were _ALL_ expected to be present. She was brushing her teeth when there was a knock at the door, she rolled her eyes, opening the door to Michael.

"What!?" she grunted as he stood there silently. His eyes instantly told her something was wrong. She nodded for him to come in and she went to put her toothbrush in her bag. He sat on the end of the bed and took a deep breath. Becoming impatient, Jac spoke first. "Michael, what's happened?" she folded her arms as she waited for his answer.

"It's Ric..." Her gut twisted as she listened carefully. Once he'd finished telling her, she swallowed and took a breath.

"In that case, we need to leave NOW." she paused "Do we tell Serena?" Michael slowly nodded his head.

"Hanssen knows, he wants us to meet downstairs before he tells her, given how close they are." Jac jumped up and began throwing her belongings into her suitcase.

"Help me!" she demanded as Michael stood up and began copying her.

Once they reached the lobby, Serena and Hanssen were stood waiting by the desk. Serena looked agitated as she clearly knew something was wrong.

"Ah good morning Mr. Spence, Miss. Naylor..." Hanssen smirked slightly at Jac and she felt her cheeks flush red.

"Now that we are all gathered, will someone please tell me what's going on." Serena pleaded as she raised her arms in frustration. Michael looked at Hanssen who motioned with his head that they enter one of the empty seminar rooms. She began shaking, knowing what they were about to tell her wouldn't be good news. She folded her arms to keep herself grounded as Jac went and stood next to her. Hanssen stood before her and changed into 'Director of Surgery' mode.

"Ms. Campbell, I'm afraid there has been an incident back at Holby..." Serena interrupted him, groaning.

"Not Eleanor... Please not Eleanor..." she could feel herself panicking at the thought of anything happening to her daughter, but Hanssen shook his head.

"No it is not your daughter." he paused "I'm afraid Mr Griffin was involved in a Road Traffic Collision this morning. He was taken to AAU where his condition was described as 'Critical'." he paused, as Serena's hands flew to her mouth and she stifled a sob.

"He's...he's not..." she couldn't finish the sentence, her mind racing.

"No he is not dead, Ms. Campbell, however his condition is extremely serious. Mr. Malick performed a 'Splenectomy' following a rupture but Mr. Griffin has yet to regain consciousness. He was taken to ICU where he will be monitored closely." Serena swallowed the rising bile and took a deep breath, nodding her head.

"In that case, I think it's best we get back, don't you?"


	11. Chapter 11

**(Thanks again for all the reviewing guys! Let us continue our tale...)**

**Chapter 11**

The car journey back to Holby City was the longest of Serena's life. All she could do was keep making calls to the Hospital, double-checking everything was being done properly. Michael hadn't even _tried_ to request a toilet-stop, him too appreciating the gravity of the situation. As they drew nearer the Hospital, Serena received a call from Chantelle on Keller.

"Yes?...What do you mean?..." she sighed as she rubbed her face "...ETA 20 minutes...Yes Chantelle, thank you." she hung up and turned to Hanssen. "Malick had to take him back into Theatre, there was a bleed. He got it under control but he could really do with us there to support him." Hanssen nodded, picking up speed.

They pulled up to the Hospital and they all dived out of the car, instantly making for the Wyvern Entrance. They travelled in silence in the lift up to ICU, mentally preparing themselves for what they were about to face. The doors opened and Hanssen led the way, noticing the looks of pity from a few nurses. They reached the end of the corridor and Hanssen opened the door of the room he knew to be Ric's. He didn't know what he'd expected...but it wasn't the sight that greeted him. He heard Serena's sharp intake of breath next to him as she moved cautiously towards his bed. Malick was stood writing in the Patient File when he looked up and relief washed over his face. He noticed the look on Serena's face and backed away from the bed, giving her some space.

Serena looked down at Ric, tears in her eyes. She knew it looked worse than it was, how often had she said that to people? But it still didn't make any difference. Ric's face had been cut and stitched-up on his forehead and the entire way down his left cheek. He was on a ventilator, and hooked up to an IV she noticed as she reached out and took his hand in hers. "Tell me Mr. Malick." she said quietly.

"Ruptured spleen, broken collar-bone, fractured cheek...he was impaled on a metal spike which fortunately didn't puncture any vital organs and was removed safely. Motor reflexes working well, now it's simply a waiting game. We monitor him closely and he'll wake up when he's ready." he turned to look at Jac who was engrossed in his charts, before Hanssen spoke.

"Thank you Mr. Malick. Would you please return to Keller until further notice." Hanssen stated as Malick nodded. He leant over and squeezed Serena's shoulder.

"He's strong." he said, before leaving the room. Michael found the whole situation uncomfortable and decided he'd be better use if he returned to AAU. Jac soon decided the same and she too returned to Darwin, leaving Hanssen and Serena alone with Ric. Serena had sat down and was resting her head in her hands on the side of the bed when she felt Hanssen's hands on her shoulders from behind. She sighed as he started massaging them gently, trying to be of comfort to her. She raised a hand and placed it on his, linking their fingers.

"He _will _pull through. You of all people should know how stubborn he is." Hanssen said as she laughed.

"Yes I do know. He's infuriating and pig-headed and as stubborn as a mule." she mused, smiling.

"Come on. There's nothing you can do here." he said as he moved to her side and held out his hand to her. She reluctantly took it, glancing nervously at Ric. Hanssen, reading her concern, indicated the Nurse sat behind the glass screen in the corner of the room. "If anything happens, we'll be paged, won't we?" he asked the nurse who nodded her head. Serena eyed the nurse warily before cooperating and following Hanssen from the room.

They walked side by side to the stairwell where Hanssen told her to continue on up to his office, giving her the key. She eyed him suspiciously. "Why...where are you going?" she asked, but he simply smiled and said he'd be right back. She watched him descend the stairs and she began to make her way up to his office. Once she had unlocked the door and entered the room, she threw the keys on the small coffee table and threw herself down on the sofa. She must have dozed off because she awoke to Hanssen sitting beside her, sipping a coffee. She sat up suddenly and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry." she smiled sleepily as he handed her a coffee.

"No need to apologise. I had a feeling you'd be needing caffeine and sugar right about now." he smiled as she gratefully accepted the coffee and took a long drink. She leant back in her seat as Hanssen passed her a chocolate bar.

"Wow, thank you." she was genuinely surprised he'd taken note of her serious dip in sugar-levels.

"No trouble." he smiled as he placed a hand on her thigh and leant back next to her. He watched her demolish the chocolate bar and giving a grateful sigh.

"I don't think I've ever appreciated chocolate as much." she joked as she finished her coffee and leant her head on Hanssen's shoulder. He moved his arm so it was wrapped around her and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry." he said as she looked up at him in confusion.

"What for?"

"For all of this." he stated as he took a sip of coffee. "I can see how much it's hurting you. It's hard when it's a colleague, it's worse when it's a friend." he admitted as she reached up to his face and stroked his cheek.

"It's tough for _all_ of us." she said simply as she kissed him and felt him respond instantly. He somehow managed to lean forward to place his coffee cup on the table, without breaking the kiss, before pulling Serena onto his lap. She moaned, opening her mouth as he deepened their kiss. He felt her heart hammering in her chest as he pulled her closer to him. She began running her fingers through his hair as he slipped his hands under her shirt and up her back. He was aware that if they didn't break away soon, they were going to violate a whole host of rules and regulations but he didn't care. Right now they needed each others' comfort and he could feel her passion as her breathing became more erratic. He was glad he'd thought to lock the door.

* * *

Serena was lying on her back, her head in Hanssen's lap. He was running his fingers through her hair with one hand and holding her hand with the other. Suddenly her pager went off, closely followed by Hanssen's. She sat up quickly and reached for it from the coffee table, staring at the short message. "He's coming off the ventilator." she said as she began buttoning up her shirt. Hanssen stood up, stretching and checked his own pager, knowing it would be the same message. He picked up the keys and headed for the door opening it and allowing Serena to exit first. "Oops wait." she smirked as she wet her thumb and reached up to wipe her lipstick off his neck. "That could have raised some awkward questions." Hanssen smiled in agreement as he locked the door and followed her to the stairwell.

As they entered the side room on ICU they saw Michael Spence had taken charge of Ric's care, along with Elliot Hope.

"Evening." Michael said briskly as he headed towards them. "Ric's showing excellent signs of alertness and responding to pain well. We did an SBT and again, his response was good. Now he still isn't _fully_ conscious but we're confident there is no longer any need for the ventilator, especially after the SBT." he looked expectantly at Serena who nodded, as did Hanssen. "Alrighty then, let's get him flying solo." Michael returned to the bedside and Serena folded her arms nervously.

They stood quietly, holding a collective breath as the ventilator stopped and they listened for Ric's breathing. They stood silent for a while before Michael turned back to them. "Stats are looking good, oxygen levels are fine, there's no distress." They all exhaled together as Serena looked at Elliot and smiled.

"Isn't that great?" he asked her as he reached for her hand "How are you holding up?"

"Elliot I'm fine...I'm not the only one affected by this." She turned to Michael "Who's in charge of monitoring him overnight?" He turned and pointed at a nurse, currently taking Obs.

"Nurse Manny and Sacha's coming on shift to cover. I've been on the go all day, there is no way I can pull an all-nighter."

"I wasn't suggesting that you do." she replied as she eyed Nurse Manny warily. Michael noticed her look and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Hey...he knows what he's doing okay?" She nodded as he made sweeping gestures with his arms, effectively shooing them from the room. "Come on boys and girls, Pappa Ric has had a long and tiring day and I need you all to give him some rest...that includes _you _Ms. Campbell." he shouted over his shoulder as she quickly headed towards the bed and squeezed Ric's hand before planting a kiss on his forehead.

"I'd be careful Michael...Pappa Ric?" she smiled dangerously "You do know he can most probably hear you." she flashed him a wicked look as she headed for the door, Elliot and Hanssen following her.


	12. Chapter 12

**(Update! Thanks for all the reviews, I'm loving them! The story is beginning to wrap up now, not much left! Keep on reviewing and enjoy :))**

**Chapter 12**

"Ms. Campbell!" Elliot shouted as he followed her down the corridor. She turned, plastering on her best false smile.

"Yes, Mr. Hope?" she noted how they had returned to formalities since leaving Ric's room.

"I was just wondering what will be happening on Keller now...will you be bringing in any assistance?" She stopped, realising the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I don't know...to be honest, I think I can manage perfectly well alone." Elliot nodded as his pager rang out and he quickly dashed off. Serena continued walking towards the stairs, Hanssen beside her. It was odd, but his mere presence had a calming effect on her and she found herself feeling less concerned regarding Ric. As they reached the fourth floor, Hanssen stopped, causing her to pause.

"Unfortunately I do have work to be getting on with." he said, remorse filling his voice.

"Well that's what happens when you go gallivanting!" she joked. "Actually, I should probably get Malick to bring me up to speed before he leaves." She reached out and squeezed his arm before ascending the stairs to Keller. Hanssen headed to his office and settled down to work...he wasn't going anywhere for quite some time!

Malick looked up as he heard footsteps and upon seeing Serena, excused himself from his patient before approaching her.  
"How is he? I heard Michael sanctioned taking him off the ventilator?" Serena nodded.

"Yes, he's doing okay at the moment. Of course, that's not to say things won't change, but we're all quietly confident." Malick exhaled and motioned for her to follow him to the Nurses' Station.

"Right Ms. Campbell..." he reached over and picked up an armful of files, turning and handing them to her. "...I am sorry to do this to you, but Ric put them aside yesterday." he explained as she rolled her eyes. "Files of patients admitted today are on your desk already...is there anything else you need?" she looked up at him, simply eager to get back to work.

"No, thank you, Mr. Malick. I will however need you on rounds with me tomorrow morning..._early_." she emphasised as he smiled and nodded.

"I'll be here! Don't overdo it, okay?" she smirked before turning and heading to her office, wanting to shut herself in there for several hours and making some headway with her backlog. As she dumped the files on her desk, she realised she hadn't called Eleanor. Sighing, she took out her phone and dialled her daughter's mobile, wondering how on earth to explain today's events.

* * *

Hanssen was making his way across the car park, towards his car, when he saw Serena stood by her car, attempting to keep hold of a mountain of files and cursing loudly. As he drew alongside her, she turned and grumbled at him.

"I haven't got my car keys...or my handbag for that matter!" She exhaled as Hanssen held up her bag and reached inside for her keys whilst placing his briefcase on the floor.

"You left it in my office earlier." he explained as he opened the car door for her to lean in and dump the files on the passenger seat.

"Thank you." she closed the door and looked down at his briefcase, bulging more than usual, and raised an eyebrow. "Some light-reading?" she drawled as he bent and retrieved the briefcase.

"You're not the only one with a inordinate amount of paperwork to catch-up on." Serena tilted her head and had an idea.

"Homework club?" Hanssen looked blankly at her, before she sighed and reached for his briefcase, opening the car door and placing it on the back seat. She turned and raised her eyebrows questioningly at him as he smiled. She moved around to the driver's side as Hanssen cleared the passenger seat and got in.

"I can't say I've ever been to a 'Homework club' before." Hanssen smirked as Serena reversed from her space.

"Don't worry..." she smiled coyly at him "...it _can _be quite fun." Hanssen chuckled as she drove them from the Hospital.

As they reached her house, they noticed a figure walking down the garden path and stop suddenly upon seeing the car. Serena switched off the engine and climbed out, heading across the garden.

"Where do you think you're going at this time of night?" she asked as Eleanor folded her arms.

"I'm going to Laura's...I _told_ you earlier!" she sighed, she was used to her mother not paying attention to things she said.

"What? How are you getting there?" Eleanor sighed as she stepped around her mother and continued walking. "Eleanor!" she shouted as she marched after her. "Don't you ignore me, young lady!" Eleanor stopped and turned to face her mother.

"I knew you'd have forgotten. You told me _you'd_ take me...but never mind, I'll take the bus." Realisation dawned on Serena as she rubbed her forehead.

"I am so sorry sweetheart, it's been a long day." she paused and smiled at her daughter "Can I have a hug?" she batted her eyelashes and Eleanor laughed as she stepped into her mother's arms. Serena suddenly became conscious of the fact that Hanssen was stood awkwardly by her car, pretending he was engrossed in something on his phone. "Oh, Mr. Hanssen..." he looked up and stood up straight as Serena brought her daughter towards him. "...this is my daughter Eleanor. Eleanor, this is Mr. Hanssen." she held out her hand and Hanssen shook it firmly.

"You're the Swedish one?" she asked as Hanssen saw Serena turn bright red, looking at him apologetically.

"I am Swedish, yes." he replied, a look of amusement on his face.

"Why don't you get in the car sweetie, I'll take you to Laura's now." she yawned, shaking her head to keep awake.

"No you won't Ms. Campbell." She snapped her head up at him, confused. "You are clearly far too tired to safely transport yourself and your daughter to her friend's house. I'll take her." she was lost for words as he reached out and opened the car door for Eleanor, first reaching in the back for their work.

"You can't, you don't have insurance on my car!" she protested as he handed her their paperwork and smiled.

"Ms. Campbell, my insurance covers me to drive any car as long as it's insured, which I assume it is?" he raised an eyebrow and she nodded. "If I damage it in any way, I will pay for the repairs, alright? Now, why don't you go and get a start on all of that?" he indicated the files in her arms and she sighed.

"Okay...call me tomorrow!" she said turning to Eleanor, who rolled her eyes in reply. "Thank you." she whispered to Hanssen as he made to walk past her and reached out to turn her gently towards the house, giving her a slight nudge.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Serena dropped the spoon back into the pan, running to answer it.

"Come in, come in!" she smiled hurriedly as she returned to the kitchen. Hanssen dropped her keys on the sideboard and took off his jacket, hanging it up neatly. So this was Serena's house, he thought to himself. He was stood in a rather bright and spacious hallway, stairs to the left, kitchen straight ahead and a living room through an archway on the right. He noticed she had many paintings hung at intervals along the hall. Some of the more crudely-drawn ones he figured were most likely the work of her daughter when she was younger.

"Just make yourself comfortable!" she shouted through the door as she continued focusing on the task at hand...not burning down the house. Hanssen was about to enter the kitchen when he was faced with a large framed photograph of Serena and Eleanor. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the picture. Serena's hair was longer, and she looked more youthful and happy, but it was her eyes that made Hanssen stop. They were so vibrant and loving, with none of the coldness or remnants of betrayal he saw in them now. She had her arms around Eleanor, their faces squashed together as they smiled for the camera. He found himself wishing he'd met this Serena, and also wondering what had changed her. He turned and saw her stood facing him, studying him.

"Quite finished?" she smirked as he felt his cheeks redden.

"Sorry." he stated, though he clearly wasn't. He stepped into the kitchen and saw two plates of Spaghetti Bolognaise sitting, steaming on the table next to two glasses of wine. He looked at her in surprise and she smiled.

"It's one of the only things I _can_ cook." she admitted as she took a seat and he followed. "Thankfully Eleanor inherited her father's flare for cooking, or we'd both either starve or live-off takeaway!" she reached for her wine and took several gulps before relaxing into her chair and starting to eat. Hanssen demolished his food within minutes and sat back, satisfied. He looked over at her and saw she too had cleared her plate and was wiping her mouth. He knew it was a clichéd thing to do, but he reached over and wiped some sauce from the corner of her mouth, then licked it off his thumb. She gave him a withering look before moving to clear the plates away.

"No, let me. Thank you, that was delightful." he said as he took her plate from her and picked up his own, placing them in the sink. As he washed them, he noticed some other items by the sink and washed those too. He heard Serena snort from behind him and he turned, eyebrows raised.

"I'm just surprised that Henrik Hanssen is washing dishes...in my kitchen." she sniggered as she finished her wine and reached behind her for the bottle off the counter-top.

"I'll have you know that I am very domesticated, Ms. Campbell." Serena took a sip, eyeing him over the rim of her glass...she was rather enjoying the view. He dried his hands and turned around to find her gaze on his behind. She quickly looked down and he smirked as he reached for his glass.

"Thank you for taking Eleanor. I trust my car is in one piece?" He showed no trace of humour as he replied.

"Wrapped around a tree down the street. Sorry." She rolled her eyes, smirking. "So, what have you done with my paperwork? Burnt it? Buried it?" She sighed, shaking her head and stood up, leading the way to the living room. She had placed their work on the coffee table in two neat piles. Hanssen watched as she removed the top file and dropped down onto the sofa, grabbing a pen from in-between the cushions as she did so. He smiled to himself as he sat down next to her and reached for the top file from his own pile.

* * *

Serena shut the file and threw it onto the table, sighing loudly and leaning back into the sofa. She had finally finished and she was exhausted. She looked up at the clock on the wall and gasped.

"Oh God, Henrik, it's late." she said, looking over at him as he furiously scratched away with his pen. He looked up at the clock and then back down, continuing writing.

"Luckily I'm on my last file." he answered as she poured them both another glass of wine. She tucked her legs up under her and sipped her wine contentedly. She was enjoying having someone sitting next to her, usually Eleanor spent her evenings either in her room or lounging on the floor to watch TV. Serena had threatened to get rid of the sofa if she didn't start using it, but Eleanor insisted the floor was kinder on her back because she got to stretch out fully. Her thoughts were disturbed by Hanssen throwing the file onto the table, followed by the pen. He picked up his wine, saying thank you, and took a sip. "You have a good choice in wine." he observed as he felt the flavours dancing around his tongue.

"Years of practise." she winked as he shifted his body towards her slightly. His pager began beeping and he immediately pulled it out, reading the short message.

"Mr. Levy." he said by way of explanation as he took out his mobile and called the number shown. "Ah Mr. Levy...Yes...I see...Yes of course...Yes I will inform Ms. Campbell...Thank you for letting me know." Serena's heart was in her mouth as she froze, watching Hanssen turn to face her. "Mr. Griffin regained consciousness momentarily." She let out a breath as he reached for her arm, gently caressing it. "It was brief, but he managed to say something about a necklace...in his desk drawer..." Serena suddenly laughed, a deep throaty laugh as she allowed the worries of the day to wash away from her. She looked at Hanssen who was looking rather confused but endeared by her outburst.

"_My _necklace...he swore blind he hadn't taken it!" she smiled at Hanssen "Ric and Michael find it hilarious when I misplace things, which I do quite often, so they've taken to hiding things on purpose now, making me think I'm losing my mind!" she laughed at the expression on Hanssen's face.

"That doesn't seem very funny to me, it seems quite juvenile." She sighed in exasperation.

"The funny part is _where_ they hide things. Just the other day, one of them put my coat on a patient. Took me ages to realise...I kept wondering why I recognised it." she smiled. Hanssen began running his fingers up her arm and down to her fingers, lifting them to his lips. She shifted towards him slightly as he suddenly stopped and looked up at her. He took her wine glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table before pulling her towards him and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she shifted her body and he lay back so she was effectively lying on top of him. She pulled back and looked him deep in the eyes before standing up and holding out her hand to him. He took it and she led him from the room and up the stairs. As she opened her bedroom door, she turned to face him and pulled him close. Their lips met with such ferocity, it was difficult to contain themselves as they quickly undressed each other. Hanssen noticed Serena suddenly becoming slightly insecure and blushing as he ran his eyes down her body. He stepped towards her so they were touching and whispered in her ear.

"You're beautiful." he said as she giggled and reached her lips up to his.

* * *

Hanssen lay on his back, breathing hard as he reached his hand out to his side and came into contact with Serena's. They linked their fingers as they both lay still, trying to control their breathing. Hanssen could feel the sweat trickling down his chest as he turned his head to look at Serena. He found his eyes drawn to her chest as it rose and fell and he reached out, running his hand across it. He felt her body respond to his touch and smiled. He had never found anybody as physically thrilling as he did her. He ran his hand up her neck and stroked her cheek as she turned her head to look at him, desire in her eyes.

"If you don't stop that, we're never going to get to sleep." she said coyly and he felt himself stiffen at her words. He shifted closer so she could feel him against her thigh and he saw her eyes widen momentarily as she looked down and then back at him. "Well in that case..." she smiled as he leant in and pressed his lips to hers.


	13. Chapter 13

**(Hoping to get this Fic finished by the end of the day due to work commitments! Hope you all enjoy and keep reviewing :) )**

**Chapter 13**

Jac was drowning her sorrows. She'd had an awful day on Darwin, which was made worse when a recurring patient died suddenly. She took a deep glug of her drink and hung her head, exhaling loudly.

"Mind if I join?" She shrugged her shoulders, instantly recognising the American drawl. Michael dropped into the seat next to her and ordered two beers, handing one to her.

"Thanks."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked as she raised her beer towards her lips."

"There's nothing to talk about." She tipped her head back, downing the remains of the bottle before reaching out for her second. "A patient died." she said sadly as Michael nodded his head.

"Long-standing I take it?" She inclined her head.

"No flies on you!" she said sarcastically and he laughed.

"So come on, what happened?" She hesitated before exhaling and telling him.

"She'd had a heart transplant a few months ago...the body rejected it. Her new heart killed her." she spat as she took a swig of beer. "She left after the initial transplant full of hope and joy and then wham...her body rejects the one chance she has." Michael reached his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her.

"You know better than anyone that sometimes these things just happen. There isn't always a reason for it, it doesn't always make sense, it just happens." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Doesn't make it any easier to deal with when it does." She turned to look at him. "Let's get completely and utterly, disgustingly drunk." Michael smiled and grabbed her beer.

"Well we're gonna need something a lot stronger than this!" he laughed as he shouted to the barman "Hey Albie...can we get two Rums over here?" he sat back and looked down the bar to where a few nurses from AAU were busy chatting animatedly.

"I meant to ask..." Jac nudged him to get his attention "...how's Ric? Any change?" Michael shook his head.

"Not really. He's stable, off the ventilator but as of yet no other changes. His body was pretty badly banged up, but that'll heal." he sighed "We won't know the full extent of the damage mentally until he wakes up." he shrugged his shoulders as he reached for his newly acquired rum.

"You do know he'll be fine, don't you?" she picked up her glass and downed the contents, grimacing and clearing her throat as she ordered two more.

"Whoa, slow down Naylor! I'd like to chat for a _bit_ longer before you hit the floor!" she looked at him sarcastically as she shot her second drink. "Game on!" Michael smiled as he knocked his drink back, reaching for his second.

* * *

Michael was beginning to flag, as he declined Jac's offer of another drink.

"I'm in at 6.30am tomorrow and I need my beauty-sleep!" She snorted as she finished her drink.

"Fine, but I'll have you know, I'm not even merry." she complained as she went to stand up from her chair and fell flat on her face.

"Timberrrrrr!" Michael laughed as he bent down, offering her his hand. "I do believe you are _quite_ drunk Miss. Naylor!" she rolled onto her back and lay looking at the ceiling laughing hysterically. "Come on copper-top!" he said as he bent towards her, hand outstretched. She took hold of it and instead of him pulling her up, she pulled him down. "Whoa...!" Michael exclaimed as he put his hands out on either side of Jac to break his fall. He was hovering above her, looking into her eyes and feeling the same burning desire rearing its' head. He quickly climbed off her and stood up, once again holding out his hand, making a mental note to ground himself first this time. She took his hand and he pulled her up, avoiding her gaze. She awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear as she reached for her bag and allowed him to lead the way from the pub. Luckily, there was a taxi pulling out of the car park opposite and Michael flagged it down, opening the door for her.

"Do you want to share?" she asked as she paused before climbing in.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. We're both drunk."

"Even more reason to make sure we each get home safely." she pointed out, but still he hesitated. "Look, this isn't a bloody marriage proposal! It's a taxi share...to our _separate_ homes." she stressed the _separate_ part as Michael nodded his head in agreement.

"Well okay, but any funny business from you Miss. Naylor and I will report you for 'Sexual Harassment'" he warned jokingly as she turned back to him from inside the taxi.

"Michael, you _hate_ the HR Department and even tried to boycott them at one point." she said stonily.

"Well there is that." he smiled as he climbed in after her.

* * *

Serena woke up early, but kept her eyes shut for a few moments, allowing herself to register the feeling of being held tightly. Hanssen was lying on his back and she was lying on her side, her head on his chest. He had his arms firmly wrapped around her and was breathing deeply, clearly still asleep. She smiled to herself as she felt his stomach under her fingers, relishing the feeling of his warm skin against hers. She looked past him to the clock on the table and was pleasantly surprised, she'd woken before the alarm. She allowed herself to remain in his embrace for a further 10 minutes before gently extracting herself and heading to the wardrobe for her dressing gown. As she tied the belt tightly, she tip-toed softly to his side of the bed and stopped the alarm at 5.29am. She smiled down at him, turning to head to the bathroom when he reached out and rested is hand on her hip, opening his eyes slowly.

"Sneaking off?" he asked sleepily, sitting up but keeping his hand on her.

"I was heading to the bathroom...hardly sneaking off." she drawled as she bent and kissed him on the forehead, placing both hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and rested his head against her chest. "Are you okay?" she asked as he smiled, breathing in her scent before raising his eyes to hers.

"I'm perfectly well, thank you. Are you?" She eyed him suspiciously and nodded.

"Yes...well I'm going to get showered." she said slowly, eyeing him closely as she backed out of his hold.

"I don't suppose..." he paused, looking at her stood there, in her faded pale blue dressing-gown, one eyebrow raised and his heart contracted. "...Would you like some company?" he finished as a look of shock crossed her face momentarily before turning to intrigue. He climbed out of the bed and made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her gently. She eyed him coyly as she felt him against her.

"My, my..." she breathed "...you're certainly a morning person." He laughed as he followed her from the room.

* * *

Michael opened his eyes and instantly realised he wasn't in his own home. He could see a trail of copper hair on the pillow in front of him and a bare shoulder. He smiled as he gently sat up, trying not to wake her. Rubbing his eyes he realised he could do with a strong coffee and probably, so could she. He slid out from the bed and pulled on his trousers and shirt before leaving the room. He made his way down a hallway and found himself in the kitchen. He set about locating two mugs and was pleased, yet not surprised, when he noticed she owned a rather expensive-looking coffee machine.

Jac woke up as she felt a movement behind her and the bed grew cold. She instantly remembered what had happened last night, but for once, she didn't _entirely_ regret it. She still hated the thought of sleeping with Michael Spence of all people, but she had to admit, it was fun. She thought back to the previous evening and cringed at the memory of her practically launching herself across the taxi at a very surprised Michael. She knew he had in fact been intending to return home, as he kept reminding her between each kiss. She could smell fresh coffee and turned around as she heard the door open.

"Ugh." she grunted as he smiled and handed her a cup of black coffee. "What time is it?"

"Just before Six." he answered as he climbed back into bed, fully clothed, leaning back against the pillows. "What time are you in?" She turned and scowled at him.

"Not until 9 today." Michael sniggered, suddenly feeling bad.

"Well you can always go back to sleep once I've left. Some of us don't have the luxury of a lie-in...we're in there, saving lives 24/7!" he joked as Jac almost choked on her coffee.

"Okay, calm down Mother Teresa." Michael laughed and finished his drink before placing the empty cup on the bedside table.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya later?" he swung himself off the bed and reached for his shoes, stuffing his feet into them and hobbling towards the door.

"Michael..." He stopped and turned back to face her. "...thanks for last night. And the coffee." He smiled in response before leaving the room singing 'Red Headed Woman'.

"Shut it Spence!" she shouted after him as she continued drinking her coffee.


	14. Chapter 14

**(Penultimate Chapter! I am very happy with all the positive feedback you guys have been giving me! If you have any ideas for a Holby Fic you'd like me to write...please let me know. I love a challenge! )**

**Chapter 14**

As Serena was nearing the Hospital, Hanssen began shifting nervously.

"Would you like me to get out here and walk? Our arrival together may turn a few heads." he explained as she glanced over at him. She thought about it for a moment before realising she didn't really care what other people thought at this stage. Whatever was happening between her and Hanssen was clearly more than a string of physical encounters.

"No, Mr. Hanssen. If colleagues can't carpool to work together then the Earth really doesn't stand a chance." she said as she turned to smile at him briefly. He returned to facing the front as a smile played at his lips...he had been expecting her to order him from the car.

As she parked the car, Hanssen climbed out and retrieved his overnight bag from the boot of his car. "Clean clothes." he explained as she watched him.

"You're well prepared, aren't you?" she smiled dangerously as she led the way to the Wyvern Entrance and heading for ICU. Once they arrived, they saw Michael Spence leaving Ric's room, flicking through a chart and frowning.

"Mr. Spence." Hanssen said loudly, getting his attention. He smiled as he looked up, taking in their body language.

"Well good morning Seniors." he smirked as Serena gave him a deadly look. "I have good news! I am pleased to say that Mr. Griffin is awake...has been for almost..." he looked at his watch "...Thirteen minutes. I was just on my way to call you...he's been asking for you." he nodded at Serena as she felt Hanssen's gaze turn to her.

"I see." she answered, wishing Hanssen would stop staring at her like that. "Where's Mr. Levy?" Michael gave her a confused expression.

"Mr. Levy left over an hour ago, when I took over. His notes are here." he said handing her the file and turning to head back to Ric's room as they followed, Serena's nose in the file. As they entered the room, she looked up and was met with Ric's smile. She found herself smiling back as tears sprang into her eyes. She handed Hanssen the file as she made her way over to his bed, reaching for his hand and holding it tightly.

"Well, you've pulled some stunts in your time, but crashing your car just so I'd return a few hours earlier than planned is taking it to a whole new level." she laughed as her eyes began to water, looking at Ric's bruised and battered face.

"What can I say..." he croaked "...I missed you." She snorted as she stroked his forehead and sniffed back her tears.

"Ah Mr. Griffin." Hanssen had approached and was standing beside Serena. "I can't say how good it is to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Serena turned her head slowly and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm feeling...that's all I care about." he smiled as Serena looked back at him and rolled her eyes at Hanssen's silly question.

"Right..." interrupted Michael "...I need to do some obs on Ric here so if you wouldn't mind?" he gestured towards the door and Serena turned back to him.

"I'll pop down later." she said gently, squeezing his hand before turning to leave. Hanssen followed her, reaching the door when they heard...

"So...Pappa Ric...what the hell was that?" Ric asked as Michael laughed loudly and they began to chat. Serena grinned as Hanssen closed the door behind them, turning towards her.

"I knew he'd hear him." she smirked as she leant back against the wall.

"He seemed very happy to see you." Hanssen noted and Serena thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"We've grown quite close, I suppose." she said warily, not wanting to get into an argument.

"Well he's clearly very _fond_ of you." Serena exhaled sharply as she turned to walk down the corridor.

"Don't do this here and _definitely _not now." she said simply as she realised he was walking behind her. She headed for the stairwell as Hanssen followed her. When they reached the fourth floor, he went to reach for the door and was surprised when she continued walking.

"Where are you going?" She spun around a look of incredulity on her face.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we are at work, in a Hospital. I am currently one Consultant and one Nurse down so excuse me if I seem in a slight rush to get to _my_ Ward but I have _my_ job plus two others to do!" Her eyes were burning as she turned and continued up the steps, crashing through the door to Keller. Hanssen stood still, regretting his actions. He walked swiftly to his office and went in, heading for his laptop. He quickly and efficiently composed an e-mail and sent a copy to all Heads of Department, detailing where they could reach him today, before once again heading for the door and locking it behind him.

* * *

He found Serena examining a patient on Keller and he headed for the Nurses' Station, seeing Chantelle.

"Nurse Lane!" he exclaimed as she looked up and smiled brightly at him.

"Ah Mr. Hanssen! Are you helping out on Keller today?" she smiled hopefully up at him and he nodded stiffly.

"I'll be taking over Mr. Griffin's patients, please get me their files." he asked as he turned to see Serena approaching him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked dangerously, raising an eyebrow.

"Seeing as Keller Ward is a Consultant short and I managed to complete _all_ of my paperwork last night...I decided to step in for Mr. Griffin today. I hope that is not a problem for you." he stated as she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, it's not a problem. Thank you." She reached past him, picking up a patient file and heading towards a young woman lying awkwardly on the bed.

"Here you go Mr. Hanssen!" Chantelle chirped as she handed him an armful of files.

"Thank you Nurse Lane." Hanssen began to flick through them as he familiarised himself with the patients he would be treating today.

The hours flew by as Hanssen divided his time between being on the Ward and in the Operating Theatre. He was about to ask Chantelle to prepare his next patient when he heard an alarm sounding on a patient's machine. He spun around and heard Serena shouting over to him.

"Mr. Hanssen! A little help please!?" He hurried towards them and saw the patient was unconscious and there was blood in her oxygen mask.

"What happened?" he asked over the girl as he stood opposite Serena.

"Patient had a fall this morning, rupturing her spleen requiring a Splenectomy." Serena looked nervous as she watched Hanssen feel the patient's abdomen.

"Did you order a CT on her stomach?" he asked sharply as she nodded her head.

"Of course..." she went to the file at the foot of the bed and showed him the results.

"Right, Nurse Lane, call Theatre and warn them of our arrival." He took hold of Serena's hand and pulled her to the side, pointing at the CT results. "Did you even _bother_ to look at these?" she looked up at him, ready to defend herself when he continued. "Look." She dropped her gaze and took hold of the results, groaning.

"Gastric Ulcer."

"Quite. My guess is the Ulcer has perforated the stomach wall and proceeded to burst. She needs surgery _now_." He headed back to the bed, removing the brakes and ordering the nurses to wheel her straight to Theatre. He began to follow as he looked back to where Serena was stood still, shocked in place. "MS. CAMPBELL." he roared loudly and she looked up, visibly shaking herself. "Scrub in." he ordered as she ran to catch them up.

They washed their hands silently side by side as Serena tried to figure out how she'd missed the signs. She sighed, drying her hands and they entered the Operating Theatre together.

"Suction!" Hanssen said as he attempted to stem the bleed. "Ms. Campbell, can you get at the stomach wall?" he asked as he made sure he didn't move his hands.

"Yes, just about...Suction!" she said as she reached out to attempt to repair the stomach lining. "Clamp...Damn!" She cursed. "It won't hold!" she said panicking slightly.

"Ms. Campbell, try again." Hanssen looked her in the eye and she shook her head.

"I can't, it won't hold." she repeated, her voice rising slightly.

"Ms. Campbell, unless you successfully repair the stomach wall this patient will die. Now try again." he said calmly. She took a deep breath and once again inserted her hands, desperately willing it to work. "Clamp." she said again. She held her breath as she watched the patient's stats on the monitor. Slowly the alarm silenced and they began to improve. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked across into Hanssen's eyes. "Good work Ms. Campbell." he praised as he gently removed his hands and began to close up.

Serena was sat in the locker room trying to calm herself when she heard someone enter the room.

"I'll be out now." she sighed tiredly as she stood up and came face to face with Hanssen.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly, she nodded.

"I am so sorry, I should have spotted it when I operated!" She rubbed her forehead and raised a hand to her mouth. "She could have died because of my incompetence." Hanssen pulled her into an embrace and felt her breathe out into his chest.

"I would associate many words with you, some of them rather unsavoury..." he smirked as she pulled back and hit him playfully on the chest "..._However_...Incompetent is definitely not one of them." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, turning to leave. "She's back on the Ward, I suggest _you _tell her what happened when she wakes up." Serena nodded her head in agreement as he left the room.

* * *

She'd been sat in the chair beside the bed for over an hour when the young patient began to wake up. She leant forwards and smiled.

"Miss Smith? How are you feeling?" she asked as she saw the look of confusion cross her face.

"Call me Danny. I'm okay, what happened?" she asked as Serena swallowed before replying.

"Well, once you'd returned to the Ward following the Splenectomy, you became unconscious." she paused noticing the look of concern on Danny's face. "You had a Gastric Ulcer which, unbeknownst to us had perforated your stomach wall and then burst. It began to bleed into your abdomen and we had to operate." Danny nodded and sighed.

"I'm okay now though?" she asked and Serena smiled stiffly.

"We managed to repair the stomach wall, yes. I should, however, point out at this point that it was down to me the Gastric Ulcer wasn't picked up earlier. I failed to spot it on your scan." she looked down at her hands until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Danny smiling and rubbing her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey...we're only human, there are bound to be times when we make mistakes. You're not a robot programmed to do a specific thing, I'm sure the pressures and job description change on a regular basis." she smiled and Serena relaxed.

"Thank you." she smiled as she patted her hand and stood up. "Nurse Lane will be over to do your obs in a few moments." Serena made her way to her office and flopped down in the chair, exhaling loudly.


	15. Chapter 15

**(Final Chapter! I hope you have all enjoyed this story, I certainly have. Thanks to all your reviews, as they allowed me to twist and turn the story in so many ways! If you have an idea you would like me to try, please drop me a comment/message!)**

**Chapter 15**

"Is this a bad time?" a voice asked from the doorway and she smiled.

"Not at all." she replied, eyes still closed. She felt something touching her leg and opened her eyes to see Hanssen sat on the edge of the desk, legs outstretched.

"I'm sorry about what I said this morning, about you and Mr. Griffin." He looked at her sheepishly. "I understand what goes on between you two is none of my business." Serena chuckled.

"There _is _nothing 'going on between us'!" She felt she was fighting a losing battle here. "We are colleagues, stuck in a room together day in, day out...of course we've become close!" she said exasperatedly. "Close _friends_." she elaborated as she stood up and stood as close as she could to him. "Besides, I'm seeing someone else at the moment." she said innocently as she ran a finger up his thigh and watched him shift slightly, reacting to her touch.

"Oh really? Well he must be something special if he can satisfy the mighty Serena Campbell." He reached a hand around her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Oh I think he is." she smiled bashfully at him as he leant forwards and their lips met. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of the feeling he got when she was in his arms and he pulled back suddenly. "What?" She looked startled as he reached up to her face.

"Would you like to go for a drink?" She stared at him, speechless, before stammering an answer.

"Uh...yes...okay." she smiled, feeling slightly thrown by his question.

"Well, if we're technically '_seeing_ each other'..." he smiled , pulling her tighter "...then perhaps we should be _seen_ together." She stared at him for a moment before realising that's what she wanted.

"Okay." she whispered as she kissed him lightly. Her pager began to sound, making her groan as she pulled it from her pocket. "We've been summoned to ICU!" she said sarcastically as she kissed him once more and felt him rub her behind.

"Well then, we'd better not keep our fans waiting!" he smiled, standing up and following her from the office.

* * *

Ric was sat up in bed, feeling remarkably good to say he'd been in a potentially life-threatening condition yesterday morning. His chest was rather painful, but Michael had told him this was a result of having a spike embedded in it and his collar-bone being broken. His attention was pulled towards the door as Serena and Hanssen entered. Ric could instantly see there was more than a professional relationship going on there, if not only by the simple fact she hadn't entered the room without him the whole time he'd been here! Also, the way Hanssen was smiling and looking at her was a bit of a giveaway.

"It looks like Conferences agree with both of you." he said, smiling as he saw Serena's cheeks redden.

"Yes, well, time away from the Hospital is needed sometimes." she said hastily, diverting the subject back to him. "How are you feeling? Michael tells me you're to be moved to a side room on Keller presently." He nodded and reached for the glass of water by his bed, but Serena beat him to it, holding the straw out to him. He took a drink and thanked her, leaning back gently.

"I'm actually feeling pretty good...although I suspect the morphine is playing a large part in that!" he smiled, running a hand over the wound the spike had left.

"Does it hurt?" She asked as she leant forwards, parting his gown to take a look.

"It's more _uncomfortable_ than painful." Serena nodded her understanding and looked around as Michael entered.

"Uh-Oh...Now Ms. Campbell, I _know_ you're not in here as a Consultant. Remember our little chat? _I'm_ his Doctor, _you're_ his friend. Got it?" He stood at the foot of the bed and she rolled her eyes.

"I was simply taking a look at his wound...I would never _dare_ go against something you said." she answered sweetly and Michael laughed.

"Well good. We don't want Griffin here getting too big for his boots!" Ric gave a mock-innocence shrug and Serena laughed.

"Just get him up to Keller, would you Michael?" she said, exhaling before turning to Hanssen.

"Shall we?" He smiled and nodded as he turned back to Ric.

"No doubt we will see you in the morning Mr. Griffin. Please do try and take it easy, you've not long had surgery."

"Of course, Mr. Hanssen. Have fun." he winked at Serena who scowled at him, leaving the room.

"What was that about?" Hanssen asked as they walked up the corridor.

"Ric has always said he can see straight through me...evidently he can." she glanced at him and smiled awkwardly.

"Ah." he replied, understanding what she was getting at. "Does it bother you that he knows?" She thought about it for a second.

"Not as much as I thought it would. It annoys me more that he could see it within minutes." she grumbled as Hanssen laughed.

They met by the lifts after having retrieved their belongings and headed out into the car park.  
"I bumped into Jac on the way down...she said she'll see us over there." Serena said as they reached their cars and she unlocked hers, throwing in her briefcase before locking it again and waiting for Hanssen to do the same. As they set off towards Albie's, she felt Hanssen take hold of her hand, her breath catching in her throat.

"Is this wise?" she asked suddenly, both of them coming to a stop across the road from the pub.

"I believe there are wiser things, but it is not _un_wise." he replied, keeping a firm hold on her hand. He could sense her fear as she squeezed his hand and took a deep breath.

"Things might get messy, they'll make comments, whisper around us. Are you sure you can handle that?" she asked worriedly, looking up into his eyes to see he was looking down at her with an odd expression on his face. "What?" she asked breathlessly, worried he'd changed his mind.

"I think I love you." he said simply.

* * *

Serena stopped breathing. She didn't know what to do. Hanssen sensed her shock and stepped forward, taking hold of her other hand. "No." he said suddenly, causing her to frown slightly. "I don't _think_." he stepped closer again so she had to crane her neck to look at him. "I love you." he whispered as she reached up instinctively and brought his face to hers, kissing him gently. She pulled back slightly so their foreheads were still touching.

"I love you too." she breathed as she felt his arms wrap around her back, holding her tightly. She could hear his breathing quickening as she stroked his shirt over his chest. She gazed up into his eyes and saw him smiling. He leant and kissed her again, both of them holding each other tight, not wanting to let go.

* * *

"He's fine! Sitting up in bed without a care in the world. Sacha's on again tonight." Michael explained as Jac linked her arm through his as they made their way across the car park.

"Knowing him, he'll probably be back at work in a couple of weeks." she snorted as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and removed it, reading a text. She was interrupted by Michael suddenly stopping and gasping loudly.

"No Way." he said as she looked up at him and followed his gaze. There, on the pavement across from Albie's were Serena and Hanssen in a rather passionate clinch.

"Oh my God." she said as she put her phone down and stared at them, not quite believing what she was seeing. "I take it you're seeing this too?" she asked quietly and Michael nodded.

"I can't _not_ look at it." he complained. He saw them break apart and head for the pub. "I think I'm blind." Jac grabbed onto his arm and pulled him with her.

"Come on. If we don't go, they'll know something's wrong. We act normal, okay? I don't really want to let two of our Seniors know we saw them...kissing..." she wrinkled her nose and Michael laughed.

"To keep _that_ quiet, I'm gonna have to be _very_ drunk." Jac sighed, disagreeing with his logic.

* * *

"To Ric." Serena said as she raised her glass along with most of the pub.

"To Ric!" they all chanted back. Serena and Hanssen were stood at the bar, watching as the room burst into lively chatter once again. She noticed Michael and Jac were stood further down the bar and kept shooting nervous glances their way. She leant closer to Hanssen and motioned with her head for him to come closer.

"It seems we may have two other characters who are wise to us." she nodded towards them and Hanssen turned his head slowly in their direction. They both immediately looked down at their drinks, pretending to be in a deep conversation. Hanssen turned back to Serena and saw she was looking up at him with a glint in her eye. He put his drink on the bar along with hers and pulled her close as he kissed her gently. Pulling away, he looked up to see Jac and Michael sat with their mouths literally hanging open. He reached for his drink and raised it to them as they laughed and raised theirs in return. His arm snaked it's way firmly around Serena's waist as he held her close, feeling her arm doing the same to him. He looked down at her and caught her eye, both of them smiling.


End file.
